


The Hero's Aspects

by TheUnicornFountain



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Zelda Wii U
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, a bit of angst, some shipping later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-04-25 15:52:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 50,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4967020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnicornFountain/pseuds/TheUnicornFountain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The third and final tale in my <em>Blue Arrow</em> series of stories finds Ravio taking center stage. Years after Link's mysterious disappearance, Ravio is placed on a quest that promises him answers. With a somewhat-grudging Sheikah by the name of Sheik at his side, Ravio explores places that challenge his courage, and tackles formidable foes in search of the things he needs to find Link. But there are forces working against him...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> If you've come back for this third and final part, thank you!
> 
> _The Hero's Aspects_ will bring a return to _Blue Arrow_ form to make for a nice bookend to this short series of _Zelda U_ stories. Monsters, adventure, cultures/languages, danger, a teensy bit of possible romance... It'll all be here in the coming chapters, so please enjoy!
> 
> Our first chapter tells of Ravio's Sheikah trial, and a few visits at The Fortress.
> 
> (The M rating is a safeguard for the violence/blood/possible sex that will or may appear in the story.)

# The Hero’s Aspects

### Chapter One: In Shadow

The village was there if you knew where to look for it. But even if you knew, it wouldn’t let you in unless you were allowed. The worry of being rejected straight out was on Ravio’s mind as he rode in Wint’s saddle with Link, his _Saio._ His fingers twisted together until Link dropped a hand over them. 

“You’ll be fine,” Link assured the boy, who was only ten. 

“He’s right, _lytel rabeta,”_ Impa added. She rode beside Link’s black Gerudo stallion on a mare hung with Sheikan tack. Her hand reached for Ravio, and her fingernails scratched at his chin. “Link was a little younger than you when he was recognized, so I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

“Okay,” Ravio whispered. He threaded his fingers into a patch of Wint’s mane and began to weave some of the long hairs into a braid. 

The travelers came to a northeastern edge of Hyrule Field, and a dark forest closed around them. Ravio looked up at the thick canopy and watched squirrels chase each other against a background of speckled sunlight and birdsong. Link and Impa fell into a conversation in Sheikan, and while Ravio understood all of the words now he didn’t pay much attention. He was on the lookout for the Sheikah village. 

But it was Link who pointed it out a half-hour later, leaving Ravio to wonder how he didn’t see it before. Two stone walls crept out of the woods to come together on either side of a wooden gate. There was no one stationed at the door, and nothing barred it. Ravio found his eyes slipping away from the door as if it didn’t exist. He had to focus on looking at it, and he was sure it was only because Link had pointed it out that he was able to see it at all.

Impa slid out of the saddle to approach the door. Her hand fell against the wood, and she said, _“Friun.”_ Ravio recognized it as the Sheikan word for ‘friend.’

The gate split in half, and the right half creaked open. The sounds of a vibrant village at once flooded out into the forest. Impa pushed the door open before taking hold of her mare’s reins. She led the horse through the gate, and Link guided Wint after her. Beyond the wall, a small village lay against the base of a tall cliff. The houses were cozy, and trees and gardens broke up the yards. Everyone had red eyes, and most had white hair. The Sheikan symbol--an eye with a tear drop--was painted on doorways and sewn into clothes. 

Many people recognized Link and Impa. They drew close once the horses were stabled, and Ravio watched his _Saio_ chatter with the people as if he had never feared crowds or attention. When Link introduced Ravio, the focus shifted to the boy. Ravio blushed and hid his face, and the onlookers smiled and laughed. 

“He’s here to be recognized,” Impa explained when someone asked about Ravio. 

The conversation spiked in excitement, and Ravio hid behind Link until he was forced to walk to a small rise of land near the village square. A stone house sat upon it. At the house’s door, Link stopped Ravio and placed both hands on the boy’s shoulders. “You remember what you’re supposed to do?” he asked, and Ravio nodded. “Okay…”

“He’ll do fine,” Impa assured Link. “Don’t be nervous,” she added to both of them. 

The door was opened onto the house’s interior, and Ravio learned it was a wide hall. He stalled when he saw the people seated in a circle inside, but Link took his hand and guided him to the center of the circle. Ravio sat down and whipped his head around in anxious turns.

Once everyone was seated, an aged woman who sat across from Ravio lifted her head and said, “Let those who see, open.”

In response, a person Ravio’s age stood up with a shallow clay bowl in their hand. Ravio couldn’t tell if they were a girl or boy beneath the Sheikan robes they wore. More importantly, he wondered when the person was going to paint on him one of the red eyes they were dabbing onto each person’s forehead. The red eye allowed those in the hall to speak. But the person skipped past Ravio and rejoined the circle once their work was done. Ravio looked to Link, but he was ignored. The first hint of true unease crept into his gut.

The meeting began, and many topics about the village were discussed--its livelihood, its residents, its ties to Hyrule as a whole, and several others. Ravio fidgeted whenever a set of eyes moved past him and failed to linger. Worse yet was how easily Link and Impa disregarded him. This hadn’t been a part of _Saio’s_ instructions. He had told Ravio to not speak or leave the hall until an eye was painted on his forehead--nothing else.

The aged woman--Ravio had learned her name was Ouga in the conversations--finally looked to Ravio. “So you are the child who is on a third life. _Bleufarwe_ has told us much about you.”

Third life? Ravio supposed those words were true. His first life had been spent as a young rabbit before he was killed. His second life as a boy had been even shorter than that, but much better, before he was killed a second time in a much worse way. Now he was on his third life--again as a boy--only this time there was no danger coming after him, _Saio,_ or their family and friends. Ravio had a feeling this was going to be the best one yet. Already almost a year in, he was about to become an honorary Sheikah.

Ravio turned aside his musings when he heard Ouga ask, “Is it true you want to become a member of our tribe, boy?”

On instinct, Ravio opened his mouth to reply. He clapped his hands over the words before they could escape his lips. He had almost ruined his chance right there! He resolved to be stronger, and he glanced at Link for strength. His _Saio’s_ look back was subtle, but it filled Ravio with courage.

Ouga tutted her tongue. “I thought you never shut up, boy, yet you’re as quiet as a mouse. Go on, tell us what you know of our people. Or maybe you prefer to speak in Sheikan?”

Ravio remained silent, and Ouga sniffed as if in distaste. “Fine. If you don’t want to speak, then don’t. We have other matters to attend to--but first let’s have some refreshment.”

Water and food was collected and brought out by two members of the circle. Ravio smacked his lips at the sight of it; breakfast was six hours in the past, and he hadn’t had a drink in a while. A plate was eventually set before him, and he reached for it only to stop when Ouga’s opening words came to mind. 

_Let those who see, open._

Did those words forbid only speech? Or was Ravio to keep his mouth shut to all things until permission was granted? He couldn’t risk it, so he stared at his untouched plate while the sounds of chewing and swallowing surrounded him.

The meeting eventually adjourned, and everyone filed out. But no one dabbed an eye on Ravio’s forehead, or guided him out of the hall. The lanterns were turned down as if he wasn’t there, and the door shut out the sunlight. He was left alone in the dark with only his growling stomach for company.

Even now Ravio didn’t dare to speak, although it seemed no one was listening. _Saio_ had told him of his experience with the trial. He had spent days in the hall with no food, no relief, and barely any sleep. He had been brought to the brink of death, surrounded in shadow, until Ouga herself had freed him from his suffering. Ravio could only wait like Link had.

But as the day lengthened, and the noise of the village faded into the dark of night, Ravio grew less and less sure of his chances. The shadows pressed against him, and in them he saw beasts and monsters that wished him only harm. He shrunk away from them; hid his face in his hands to avoid looking at them. 

_Child…_

Ravio gasped and lifted his head. His eyes darted around the hall, but he could see nothing. And yet… something moved against the shadows. A darker black.

_Child… You have information I want…_

Ravio trembled. He knew that voice. He closed his eyes only to find there was no difference from the darkness he could see with them open. 

A sinister laugh came from the depths of the hall. _Look at how you shake. Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or do I need to be more… persuasive?_

Ravio sucked in shallow breaths again and again. It wasn’t real. Ghirahim was dead. _Faedra_ had killed him. _Saio_ had said so, and Ravio didn’t doubt either of them. But if that was the truth, where was this fear coming from? Who was speaking in that terrible voice that slipped past the ears to burrow into his head?

_Very well then, child!_

In his panic, Ravio imagined an arm wrapping around his throat. He jerked away from the touch and instinctively made for the hall’s door. But his legs were numb from being folded for hours beneath his weight, and he plopped down on his stomach. His teeth knocked together, and he grimaced as tears came to his eyes. Before he could stop himself, a scream of fear and pain left his dry throat.

Link was in the middle of sleep when he heard the distant scream. He and Impa were resting in a house of a friend, and Link had made himself a bed on the floor of the sitting room. He raised his head at the scream, and pushed the blankets away when recognition broke through his sleep-clouded mind. He ran out of the house just as Impa was calling his name. The scream had ended, but on its heels came high cries that dragged other members of the tribe out of their homes. 

_“Saio! Saio,_ help! _Please!”_

The house wasn’t far from the meeting hall. Link ran through the dark village, following Ravio’s cries, and arrived to the hall to find the boy splayed across the floor. He was crying and batting at things that weren’t there. Link dropped to his knees beside Ravio and scooped him into his arms.

“You’re okay, you’re okay. I’m here…” Link reassured Ravio over and over while he stroked the boy’s dark hair and kissed his wet cheeks. Ravio’s fingers dug into Link’s nightshirt with each sob.

Ouga arrived along with Impa and a few other Sheikah. Ravio’s crying dried up at the sight of them, and he hid his face in Link’s shirt. Over his head, Link passed some words in Sheikan with Ouga. Ravio didn’t listen. Wrapped up in his _Saio’s_ arms the fear was draining out of him, leaving exhaustion in its wake. He sniffled and hiccupped until sleep overtook him, and he woke up in his bedroom in the house that sat near Lake Helvus.

Link was awake, and after washing up Ravio joined him in the kitchen. A bowl of warm oatmeal topped with peaches and cream was placed on the table for the boy. He looked down at it and felt tears come to his eyes. When Link sat down with his own oatmeal, Ravio asked, “Did I fail?”

“It’s okay--” Link began in a quiet voice. He was cut off by a harsh sob from Ravio. The boy covered his face when his misery spilled over. “Rav, it’s okay,” Link repeated.

“I wasn’t brave enough,” Ravio sobbed. “I tried hard to be brave like you, but I--I--”

“There’s all kinds of bravery,” Link rushed to point out. “Agreeing to the trial in the first place took courage, and you did that much.”

“But I failed!” Ravio cried. 

“Rav, it’s okay. I don’t love you any less. Neither does Impa. And you’re no less a person for not being Sheikah. Okay?”

_Saio_ was right. After a minute, Ravio got his tears under control. He sniffled and wiped his cheeks dry. “Can… Can I try again when I’m a little braver?” he asked in a whisper.

Link’s face flickered in unease. “I… I’ve never heard of anyone being allowed a second chance.”

Ravio stilled, and his tears renewed. “I should have waited,” he eked out of his tight throat. “I should have waited like you said.”

“Rav, it’s okay,” Link repeated. “Maybe one day you will be able to try again. But for now just forget about it. It’s in the past. Come on, eat your breakfast. Those peaches are from the castle. Zelda sent them special, just for you.” When Ravio failed to pick up his spoon, Link’s face fell and he urged, “I want you to eat, okay? You haven’t had anything to eat in over a day. Come on, be brave and take that first bite.”

But Ravio pushed the bowl away and fled the kitchen for his room, where he curled up under his blankets. He didn’t emerge until the smell of dinner dragged him back out by his growling stomach. Link was pleased to see him up again, and they shared a quiet but pleasant dinner together with no mention of the failed trial. 

#

A month later, Ravio would think back on the trial for the first time in weeks. Perhaps if he had been braver and stuck through it, he could have protected his _Saio._

It was a normal evening like any other--or what passed for normal in The Fortress. Link and Ravio had decided to spend a few days with Ganondorf and Nabooru, and on the second night of their visit the sides of the old stronghold flickered with the light cast by the two bonfires. Food and alcohol were plentiful. Ravio wasn’t allowed to have the latter, so he, Link, and Nabooru shared a fruity drink made from Lanayru dragon pears. Link didn’t like alcohol, but Nabooru did when she wasn’t pregnant.

“Does it have a name yet?” Ravio asked as he laid his ear against Nabooru’s broad belly. The dancers’ shadows played across it.

Nabooru laughed. _“It_ is a girl, just like every Gerudo baby when we have a king. And we haven’t decided yet, but we’re thinking about Hilda.”

Link, sitting on Nabooru’s other side, frowned and remarked, “That’s a very Hylian name.”

“It’s my idea,” Nabooru revealed. “In honor of you.”

Link coughed on his drink. “Me?” he repeated, sputtering, and Ravio laughed along with Nabooru.

“Yes, you,” Nabooru said. She kissed his cheek, and he blushed. “For all you’ve done for Ganondorf,” she added out of earshot of Ravio. She poked Link in the ribs. “Or have you forgotten you’re stuck with us now?”

“You won’t let me forget,” Link pouted, and Nabooru smacked him lightly over the head.

Ravio startled both of them when he exclaimed, “Oh! Hilda kicked!”

“Really?” Nabooru gasped. “Maybe she wants to dance. Do you want to dance with us, Rav?” 

Ravio lifted his head to nod. Nabooru gained her feet with Ravio’s help, and she took the boy’s hands into her own to twirl and swing him around to the music playing just beyond the firelight. 

Ganondorf came striding out of the shadows to sit down beside Link. “Ah, I finally get you all to myself,” he said with a laugh. Link mimicked Nabooru’s smack across the head on Ganondorf, and the Gerudo laughed again before taking a sip of the heady drink in his hand.

The jovial atmosphere would have continued until the cold night wind drove the Gerudo inside if not for a worried guard’s arrival at Ganondorf’s side. She leaned down to whisper something in his ear, and seconds later Ganondorf said in a carrying voice, “What do you mean Princess Zelda is here? And what does she want with Link?”

Link dropped his cup from his lips and turned to look at Ganondorf along with most of the others nearby. Nabooru and Ravio slowed their steps to watch Ganondorf and Link pass a quiet conversation. Ravio tugged on Nabooru’s hand. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Nabooru answered in a distracted voice. Her eyes narrowed when Ganondorf and Link stood up together.

Ravio watched Link vanish into the dark alongside Ganondorf. “Where are they going?”

“I don’t know,” Nabooru repeated. “Hang on.” She whistled, and the guard who had spoken to Ganondorf came forward to bow before her queen. Nabooru rattled off a short set of instructions in Gerudian that Ravio barely understood; the language still eluded him save for a few choice words and phrases. 

The guard hurried off in pursuit of Ganondorf and Link. Nabooru did her best to distract Ravio with more dancing and stories, but it was clear the boy wasn’t as enthusiastic as before. When the guard returned alongside a stormy-faced Ganondorf, Ravio showed his first sign of interest in over half an hour and he lifted his head in expectation.

“Why bother sending your spies after me?” Ganondorf snapped at Nabooru. “You know I don’t hide things from you.”

He was irritated about something, and Ravio doubted it was the spying. Nabooru picked up on this as well, and her voice was soothing when she explained, “Ravio was worried about the two of you. Where’s Link?”

“Getting packed up to leave,” Ganondorf answered. “Princess Zelda had a dream--a prophetic one. He has to go somewhere. I don’t know where.” He snorted and glared at empty air.

_“Saio_ is leaving?” Ravio repeated. He took off for the stronghold before Nabooru or Ganondorf could stop him. He knew his way through it by now, and he quickly arrived at the room Link was sharing with Ganondorf and Nabooru. Link was mostly packed up already, but he stopped when Ravio came running into the room out of breath. _“Saio,_ take me with you!”

“I can’t, Rav,” Link said with a voice full of regret. “Don’t worry. Gan and Nabooru are going to watch over you until I get back. I won’t be gone more than a few days, okay? You stay here with them until I get back.”

“But--” Ravio was cut off by Link’s kiss on the top of his head. The Regn Hylian added a Gerudian prayer; Ravio understood that much.

“Be brave, _min lytel rabeta,”_ Link said, “and I’ll be back before you know it.” He ruffled Ravio’s hair and made to leave, but Ravio stopped him for a moment.

“Take this,” Ravio said, and he clamped his stone bracelet, a souvenir from his second life, around Link’s left wrist. “That way you won’t be alone, and you’ll remember me.”

Link smiled. “Thank you, Rav, but I can never forget you.” He squeezed Ravio’s hand in goodbye and walked out of the room. Ravio retreated to the bed where he lay down and watched the empty doorway. Link failed to reappear in the span of time before Ravio’s eyes closed, and he wasn’t there the next morning when Ravio woke up. Or the morning after that. Or the thousands of mornings after that.


	2. Deviations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven years later Ravio is a much different person, and his adventure is only beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for giving this third go-around a shot! I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, translations are at the end of the chapter but the context should be there in the story.

# The Hero’s Aspects

### Chapter Two: Deviations

It was Blossom Day in Castle Town. The annual spring festival heralded the official end of winter when the town’s many trees and plants burst forth in an array of color. Adding to the show were countless stalls and performances that filled almost every inch of available market space and streets. The smell of food and the sound of conversations were carried on the wind alongside blossom petals. A shrine was set up by a tree that hung with paper wishes, and costumes and masks framed persuasive merchants in their stalls.

A young man no more than seventeen wove his way through the crowds and watched everything from behind a rabbit mask. He paid no mind to the merchants, the food, or the wary looks of the patrolling soldiers who eyed the bow on his back. They needn’t have worried about that. Not when a whole pen of Ordon goats waited at the end of a short alley.

Ravio slipped along a stone wall and dodged puddles of liquor and piss to where the Ordon goats bleated and shifted behind a fence of wooden posts. No one was watching them. Ravio leaned against the fence and whistled seemingly casually. A few seconds later, an albino guay flitted down the alley to alight on his shoulder. It tweeted and fell to pruning a white wing.

“All clear, Sheerow?” Ravio murmured to the bird. It raised its head and flapped its wings with a tweet in confirmation. Ravio nodded and turned to hurdle the fence.

A hand on his empty shoulder stopped him, and a familiar voice asked, “Living up to your _Saio’s_ name, aren’t you, _lytel rabeta?”_

“Don’t call me that!” Ravio snapped as he spun around to remove his mask and glare at the Sheikah. Sheerow flitted away with an alarmed chirp and landed on an Ordon goat’s ringed horn. 

Impa pulled her hand back to fold her arms across her chest. A white eyebrow was raised. “I see you still have his attitude as well.”

It was hard to look at the Sheikah directly. She had changed little in the last seven years--not that Ravio would know, as he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in the last three. He set his gaze on the singular red eye that was on Impa’s shirt. Its unblinking gaze bore through him, and he dropped his eyes further to the ground.

“Let me guess…” Impa walked up to the fence and folded her arms atop it. “A stampede through the festival? That would cause chaos, but also serious injury. Link never went as far as that on purpose. Did you think this through, or were you just rushing into it without thought?”

Ravio whistled short and high, and Sheerow flew to his shoulder. He made to leave, but Impa stopped him with a hand on his chest. The fingers moved up to stroke his left black sidelock, and the hints of red in it glimmered faintly. Her pale skin stood out against his light brown. “Why now?” she asked, and Ravio managed a brief glance. “Why come back to Hyrule now, after so many years away from us?”

“I…” Ravio paused, swallowed, and tried again. His words came out in a whisper. “I’ve been having dreams about him lately. The last time I did, it was after he… After he vanished.” He repeated Impa’s words. “Why now, after all these years?” 

Impa’s hand dropped away. “What kind of dreams?”

“They feel like the ones I used to have back when we were stuck at the Goddesses’ house. And those turned out to be true.”

“And the ones you’re seeing now? What do they show?”

“A wall of glass,” Ravio answered. “I’m on one side, and he’s on the other. No matter how hard I try, I can’t break the glass. That’s all.”

Impa made a thoughtful sound in her throat, but otherwise didn’t remark on the dream. Instead, she reached out and pulled Ravio into a brief embrace. “I’m glad to see you’re growing strong and handsome in the desert,” she said.

Ravio had to smile a little at that. “Here I was expecting a lecture and tears.”

“Oh, did you think I haven’t been keeping tabs on you all this time?” Impa said, and she laughed in satisfaction when Ravio tensed in her arms. “Lord Ganondorf may not be happy with me and Zelda, but he is still willing to speak to us. It’s as if you never left.”

Ravio grumbled in Gerudian. “So much for privacy,” he added in Hylian.

Impa laughed. “Ah that’s right, you’re at _that_ age.” She added something in Sheikan and laughed again.

Ravio frowned, huffed, and pulled away from her. “What was that?” he almost snapped. “What did you say about me now?”

Impa’s amusement fell away, and she asked something in Sheikan. When the confusion only deepened in Ravio’s face, she put a hand to her mouth briefly in dismay. “You’ve forgotten our tongue?”

“It’s _your_ tongue,” Ravio pointed out, bitter once more. “I’m more Gerudian than I ever was Sheikan.” He turned away from Impa so that he couldn’t see more dismay come to her eyes, and he fled the alley as fast as his feet could carry him. Sheerow followed after Ravio, as loyal as ever. Ganondorf had bought the monster for Ravio two years ago as a birthday present. She was a fledgling then, and easy enough to train. She rarely strayed far from Ravio’s side.

Ravio’s second companion came into view when he entered Castle Town’s stables. The black Gerudo stallion poked his head out above his stall door when he heard Ravio’s feet. Wint and the _maclura_ bow on Ravio’s back were the only things that had come back after Link disappeared. The horse had been found with the bow amongst its saddlebags on the edge of the forest that hid the Sheikan village. Ganondorf was convinced Impa knew something about the circumstances surrounding Link’s disappearance, and thus the friendly ties between him, Princess Zelda, and her nurse were wearing thin.

Ravio was of a similar mindset, and it was the main reason why he had avoided seeing Impa or Zelda for so long. If they knew what had happened to Link, why didn’t they reveal it? Seven years of silence was long enough. It infuriated Ravio that he, out of all people, was being kept in the dark. What right did they have to withhold information about his _Saio?_

“You should have never listened to Zelda!” Ravio snapped at the empty air. “Then you would be here with me!” Berating the long-lost Regn Hylian was better than beating himself up. Zelda and Impa weren’t the only objects of his anger, and as he rode across Hyrule Field he scolded Link over and over with increasing frustration. He nearly forgot about his weekly errand--part of the reason why he ventured into Hyrule Field more often than he cared to. Ravio redirected Wint and arrived at a copse shortly after. The shadows under the trees cooled some of his temper, and he forced himself to relax. 

A well-worn path guided Ravio to a collection of holes dug into the ground. He had taken a burlap bag off of Wint before entering the trees, and now he pulled it off of his shoulders and emptied its contents onto the ground. Pieces of flawed vegetables bounced across the dirt, and seconds later a rabbit stuck its sniffing nose out of a hole. After years of care the rabbits were well-acquainted with Ravio, and they crept out of their warren with cautious familiarity. Some of them allowed him to stroke their ears and back while they nibbled on the vegetables.

Ravio spent a while with the warren long after the last piece of radish was devoured. With enough concentration he could recall the memories of the close, dark tunnels where smell and touch ruled, but he didn’t like to linger long on the memories. There had been more bad times than good, and the bad had only ended at death. Some of the rabbits in front of him were likely descendants of those that punished him in that life, but he didn’t hold it against them. He reached out to pet one such rabbit, and an arrow plunged into its head an inch from his thumb.

A giddy laugh rang through the trees while the rabbit died. Ravio stared down at the twitching limbs in numb shock until two sets of hands grabbed his arms and yanked him to his feet. 

“Bring him over here! Let’s see what he’s got!”

Ravio shook himself out of his shock and at once began to struggle. He cursed, kicked, and attempted to yank his arms free. A hard blow to his head stopped him, and he hung limp until he was dragged out into the sunlight. He squinted against it with Wint’s whinnies in his ears. The horse was afraid, and it was easy to see why. A man had a taut lasso around the stallion’s neck. Wint reared and tugged, but the man kept him in check. The people holding Ravio were also male, and Hylian. Their clothes and hard faces spoke of a life lived as bandits. 

A fourth and final man was the one holding the bow that had killed the rabbit. His smile was crooked when it fell on Ravio, but not as crooked as the knife he pulled off of his belt in place of the bow that was slung on his back. Ravio stiffened when the gleaming steel caught his eye. The cold blade fell against his cheek, and his breaths grew quick.

“That’s too much horse for you, boy,” the man with the knife said, and he nodded at Wint. “We’re going to take it off of your hands for you, all right?” His nose was crooked, too. 

Ravio wanted to say no, or fight, or do anything but stand still and compliant in the bandits’ arms. But the knife… It moved down his cheek and settled against his neck, and he felt a larger blade stab through his chest again and again and--

“Check him,” the knife man ordered, and the two others holding Ravio used their free hands to root in his pouches and pockets. They pulled out a handful of rupees and some odds and ends he had found in a nearby ruined temple. His rabbit mask was yanked off of his belt and stomped into splinters. Above him, Sheerow flew in anxious circles, chirping. The knife marked Ravio’s rapid pulse. He was in the field again, only it wasn’t Ghirahim stabbing the life out of him. It was the four men taking turns; passing the knife between them. 

Ravio’s knees buckled, and the knife left a thin line of blood against his neck. Someone kicked him, and the knife man cursed.

“Stupid half-Gerudo brat--”

A second kick came. Ravio’s body curled up around it, but his mind was years in the past. He waited for the life to leave him again. It didn’t happen. A third kick came instead, and anger sparked deep in Ravio. He came back to the present and whirled on the closest man with a yell. His body was charged, and he attacked barehanded, scratching and punching, until a fist struck him in the side of the head. He dropped to the ground with a cry of pain, and the anger seeped out of him. Fear returned, and one thought crossed his head again and again. _Run._

Ravio was on his hands and knees when a foot dropped onto his back, pushing him down. A knife followed, and the pain was real this time. It sank into his upper back, and he screamed.

The knife wasn’t withdrawn, for the hand holding it jerked away in fear. Ravio listened to the men cry out and question the rumbling in the earth beneath their feet. He lay against the pitching ground and closed his wet eyes in relief.

Over a low rise of land some distance away, a male bullbo charged into view. Its horns swept up to stab at the sky with each rise and fall of its massive body, and its sharp hooves left behind a trail of kicked-up dirt. Atop its back rode a tall, powerfully-built Gerudo man with red hair, yellow eyes, and a face dark with ire.

The man holding Wint fled with a wail. He was the first to be struck down by the bullbo’s bulk. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but the monster reduced his right arm to a twisted mess. He was still running and screaming when Ganondorf yanked the bullbo around. It reared and spun on its back hooves; the ground bucked under its falling weight. A wet snort and a pawed hoof signaled a fresh charge, and the remaining three men fled across the field. Their horses had already escaped, leaving them to run on foot with the bullbo on their heels. 

Ganondorf chased them for almost half a mile before shouting a final curse in Gerudian and returning to where Ravio sat on his folded knees. He was trying to pull the knife out of his back, but he was only increasing the blood flow. Ganondorf slid off of his mount, which trotted off to where Wint stood. The horse was familiar with the monster, and he didn’t flee. Ravio, too, stood still when he heard Ganondorf approach. A painful jerk marked the knife’s removal, and Ravio gasped. The wound was closed up and the blood was vanished away.

Instead of concern, Ganondorf offered Ravio only irritation. “You didn’t notice the pack of bandits on your tail after leaving the festival?” he snapped down at Ravio, who was gaining his breath.

Ravio frowned at the grass. “You were watching me? _Again?_ We talked about this!” He looked up at Ganondorf with equal frustration. “How many times have I asked you not to spy on me?”

“Someone has to watch your back,” Ganondorf returned with a wave of his hand in the general direction of the escaped bandits. 

“Does that include Impa? Is that why you pass on everything to her too? I thought you were mad at her and Zelda!”

Ganondorf flinched. “So you talked to her.”

“Yeah, did you fail to see that?”

Ganondorf didn’t answer. He looked away and made a curt gesture. “Get your horse. We’re going home.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Ravio countered.

Ganondorf at once bristled, and his chest expanded. _“I’m not giving you a choice!”_ he roared, but Ravio didn’t quail. After seven years of living with Ganondorf, he wasn’t afraid of him. But he did love him, and he knew the Gerudo had his best interests at heart. So reluctantly, and with more grumbling than was convincing, Ravio followed Ganondorf to where their mounts stood. Sheerow flitted down onto Wint’s rump once Ravio was settled in the saddle.

The bullbo was almost dainty when it wasn’t at a full run. Ganondorf guided it onto a road that led to the edge of the desert, and Ravio followed behind on Wint. He lamented the loss of his relics, which the bandits had pocketed, but he knew he had gotten off lucky. If Ganondorf hadn’t been watching him, he would likely be dead. 

“I still can’t believe you let them sneak up on you like that,” Ganondorf remarked a mile into the ride. He still sounded irritable. “You’re almost just as good as Link was with that bow. You could have scared them off before they even got close.”

Ravio sighed. “Could you not mention him?” he almost snapped. “It’s bad enough I’m starting to dream about him again. I don’t need his greatness shoved into my face.”

He regretted the words almost at once. He hadn’t told Ganondorf about the dreams. He watched the Gerudo turn around in his saddle to frown. 

“What dreams?”

“It’s nothing--”

_“What dreams?”_

Ravio cursed extensively in Gerudian under his breath, but told Ganondorf what he had revealed to Impa earlier that day. Like her, Ganondorf hummed in thought but said nothing else on the dreams. Over the rest of the journey, they slowly warmed back up to each other. By the time they reached the high gates marking the entrance to The Fortress, Ravio was in his usual cheerful mood. It lasted the rest of the day and evening, and he fell asleep easily after crawling into bed. 

He opened his eyes onto the glass barrier. As before, Link stood on the other side of the unbreakable boundary. Ravio had left out one small detail in his telling of the dream. His _Saio_ stood with his back to the young man, and no amount of shouting or banging on the glass turned him around. 

Now a new detail surfaced in the dream. Ravio paused in his efforts to catch Link’s attention and looked through the glass at the gnarled, dead tree that stood on a patch of bare ground. A slit of darkness split the trunk. It looked like a sideways eye. 

Link stepped away from the glass and headed for the tree.

Ravio picked up his shouts and hammering. Something was wrong with the tree. That break in the trunk could only be bad. He screamed warnings and pleas to his _Saio,_ and beat his hands until his skin cracked and smeared blood against the glass. When Link finally looked back it was from within the shadows of the slit, and it was with eyes as empty as the dark.

Ravio awoke drenched in sweat and with a strained throat. His hands throbbed in pain where his fingernails had dug in, and his stomach was twisted. It had felt so real… He dropped his forehead into a bleeding palm and fought back tears. The sleeping stronghold held him in its silence and familiarity, but it couldn’t match the warm arms that had once embraced him. 

#

Hilda was freshly seven years old, and the spitting image of her mother Nabooru--gutsy spirit and all. She had her father’s craftiness and skills in magic, even at such a young age, and her perceptiveness was unsettling. Additionally, Ravio was her favorite. So she was the first one to notice his lack of appetite and general air of unease the next morning at breakfast.

“What’s wrong with you?” Hilda asked, bluntly, around a mouthful of egg, and her parents looked together at Ravio to find his plate was untouched. He, too, had eggs--he was fine with eating the unfertilized ones from the henhouse--but his fork hadn’t moved from beside the plate. 

“I’m fine,” Ravio automatically answered when both Ganondorf and Nabooru put the same question to him in gentler terms. “I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Your dreams again?” Nabooru asked. 

So she knew too? Ravio lowered his eyes and traced the edge of his plate with a slow finger. “It was different this time,” he revealed after some debate between lying more or telling the truth. “There was a tree with a hole in it. _Saio_ went into the hole--”

Ganondorf stood up suddenly, and Ravio cut off to look up at him in surprise. “You said a tree? A tree with an entrance?” Ganondorf pressed, and when Ravio nodded he said, “She was right. Oh Goddesses, Princess Zelda was right…” Ganondorf winced, sat down again, and dropped his forehead into his palm much like Ravio had done after his dream.

Hilda was quiet in her seat, and her eyes darted between Ravio and her parents. Nabooru put an arm around Ganondorf’s shoulders and soothed him in Gerudian.

Ravio sat cold in his seat. He couldn’t shake the sudden chill that had come into his body. There was a feeling on the back of his neck like an approaching storm. “What’s going on?” he asked in a tight voice. “Are you saying Zelda knows about the dreams I’m having?”

Nabooru sighed. “She predicted them,” she answered, and Ravio frowned. “It was a part of the same prophetic dream she had seven years ago.”

“You mean the one that caused _Saio_ to leave and never come back?” Ravio asked. Nabooru nodded, and Ravio pressed, “What does that mean? Does she know something about _Saio?_ Do you and _Faedra?_ Answer me!” He slammed a fist down on the table, and Hilda jumped. 

Nabooru lifted her free hand. _“Brun dun,”_ she urged. Ravio flinched at the Sheikan, and Nabooru sighed. _“Laksa,”_ she said next. “We can explain everything. We’ve been waiting for this, Ravio. You have too, although you didn’t know it.”

“Waiting for what?” Ravio asked.

“Waiting for the path to open to Link,” Nabooru answered. 

Ravio’s tense shoulders fell, and his face grew slack in surprise. “Wait. You mean… You mean _Saio_ is coming back?”

Ganondorf raised his head. “That depends on you,” he answered, which only confused Ravio further. But neither Ganondorf nor Nabooru explained anything more. “Eat your breakfast,” Ganondorf said instead. “You’ll need the energy. We have a long ride to Hyrule Castle.”

**#######**

**Translations:**

_brun dun_ and _laksa:_ The first is Sheikan, and the second is Gerudian. They both mean roughly the same thing: calm down.


	3. A Closed Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravio journeys to Hyrule Castle where he meets someone new and learns of Link's disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist adding in the Sheikan book that was glimpsed in the [13 second long??!!] footage of _Zelda U!_ Fortunately, it plays well into the story.

# The Hero’s Aspects

### Chapter Three: A Closed Book

The castle was how Ravio remembered it from his youth. The halls hadn’t changed, and as he, Ganondorf, and Nabooru waited for Zelda and Impa he wandered them in search of the guestroom he had slept in many times over. He found it with no trouble. Muscle memory jiggled the stubborn knob; they still hadn’t fixed it after all these years. The contents beyond the room, too, were untouched. The room was kept dust-free, but the colors of the fabrics were faded and there was still the crack in the window from when Ravio had practiced his bow indoors.

Ravio returned to the room where Ganondorf and Nabooru waited to find Zelda and Impa had finally arrived. Zelda was a queen now, married to a prince from Termina, and she had just returned from a meeting. Impa, her ever-protector, had watched from the sidelines. 

“No Hilda today?” Zelda was saying when Ravio entered the room.

“She’s staying with her aunts,” Nabooru explained. “Besides, this isn’t the sort of talk…” She trailed off when she saw Impa look up, and all four of them turned to Ravio. 

His eyes narrowed in response when he saw how relaxed everyone appeared. “You’re all awfully chummy for people who are mad at each other. Or was that another lie?”

Ganondorf snorted. “You think I’m happy Princess Zelda sent Link on a suicide mission?” He retracted his words with an apology when Ravio flinched. “That’s not what I meant--”

“Then what do you mean?” Ravio pressed. No one was meeting his eyes anymore save for Impa. His voice rose, cracking, as he said, “Does anyone want to tell me something that’s the actual _truth?”_

They all shared looks with each other, but no one volunteered any information. Instead, Zelda picked up something that was tucked beside her on her chair. It was flat and square, and wrapped in black cloth. Ravio’s breath hitched when he recognized the cloak. Zelda held it out to him.

It felt like a day had passed before Ravio took the first step forward. The next three brought him within reach of the wrapped object. He took it into hand with everyone watching him. The cloak… He had seen it only once, hung in Link’s closet. He unwrapped the object and tossed the cloak over his shoulder to have both hands free. It smelled familiar.

The object was a book. Adorning the front was the Sheikan eye with a glowing blue iris. There was no latch or lock of any kind. It was simply a matter of opening the cover and beginning to read at the first page. But Ravio couldn’t do it. The book jumped in his trembling hands before it dropped to the floor. 

Zelda bent over to pick it up. “Ravio--”

“No!” Ravio shouted. There were tears on his cheeks. He wiped them away, grimacing with anger, and pointed at the book in Zelda’s hands. “All that’s in there are excuses, right? You think I want to read that?”

“There was something he had to do,” Impa spoke up. “He felt incomplete without trying something. He felt inadequate to raise you unless he tried to fix it.”

“Fix what? Try what?” Ravio pressed. 

“Your answers are in this,” Zelda said, raising the book again. 

Ravio shook his head. “Excuses,” he repeated, and he turned and fled the room. They all cried after him, and he heard Ganondorf’s heavy footsteps begin. He doubled his speed--he was quick, quicker than Link had been--and soon the footsteps faded. But was that because Ganondorf was hiding himself with sorcery? Ravio took turns and staircases at random, fueled by a growing panic that would have consumed him if not for the room he came to at the end of a hall.

It was a library. _The_ library. Hyrule Castle boasted the largest collection of books, maps, and writings in all the kingdom. The room was filled with shelves and chairs, and the wide windows allowed warm sunlight into the quiet space. Ravio closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He sucked in breath after breath, slowly regaining control until he was able to cross over to a desk. He sunk into the chair and dropped his head to the cool stretch of wood in front of him. The cloak over his shoulder threatened to slip off. He grabbed it, tied it on, and pulled the hood over his head. The darkness and nostalgic smell calmed him further. 

When his mind was cleared, Ravio noticed a feeling at the back of his neck that told him he was being watched. He lifted his head, sniffling, and saw a person by a nearby shelf staring at him. They were backlit by the sunlight, throwing them in shadow, but Ravio could see a braid halfway down their back and a book in their hands. The latter was placed on a shelf before the person stepped forward. Their details grew clearer, revealing their age as around Ravio’s along with blonde bangs, red eyes set into an androgynous face, and high-collared library robes. 

“I’m sorry,” the stranger said, and Ravio frowned up at them. They gestured to the cloak and added, “For your loss.”

Ravio wiped away the last of his tears. “What are you talking about?”

“That’s a Sheikan grieving cloak,” the stranger specified. “I haven’t seen one in years. They fell out of tradition a while ago.” As if surprised by their forwardness, they blushed and hurried off, muttering, “Never mind.”

“Wait,” Ravio called, and the person stopped. “Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so,” the stranger said without turning around. “I have a lot of work to do. The books don’t shelve themselves. Excuse me--”

“It was you,” Ravio cut in. He stood up and took a step forward towards the stranger. “You were the one that day who painted eyes on everyone--except me.”

“It was your initiation,” the stranger said.

“So you _do_ remember.”

“It was a long time ago. Excuse me.” 

“No, wait--”

They were both stopped by the creak of the library door. Four people walked in, and Ravio groaned. The stranger looked equally unhappy, but more out of dread than annoyance. When Impa spied them, she walked up to them and said something in Sheikan. The stranger answered with reluctance.

Nabooru strode across the library to where Ravio stood. “We came here to talk,” she reminded him. He crossed his arms and looked away, and she grabbed hold of his chin to swing his eyes front again. “If you really want Link back, you’re going to need to know what’s in that book.”

Ravio yanked his chin free. “If he wanted to stay, he would have never left. Why should I try to find him?”

“Because you want to,” Nabooru answered. “I can see it in your eyes, but you’re too afraid to try.” Ravio bristled at that and scowled, but Nabooru only tugged on his hood. “Come on, let’s sit down.”

The rest of the group was seated at a table. The stranger had returned to the shelves, but was staying close; likely out of curiosity. Ganondorf was eyeing them more often than not, leaving Ravio to wonder what the stranger’s significance was. But that didn’t matter now. Everyone was staring at him. Ravio took a seat at the table as well, but kept the hood up. 

Impa propped an elbow on the table and dropped her chin into the raised hand. “You look just like him,” she remarked.

“No I don’t,” Ravio insisted. “I look Gerudo, as every passing bandit and soldier reminds me.” Ganondorf mumbled something that indicated he was familiar with the remarks. Ravio turned to him and asked, “What do you know about _Saio?”_

“’I’m not Sheikan,’ you said to me just the other day,” Impa spoke up again. “Yet you toss that word around easily enough.”

Ravio scowled a little. “It’s the only one I remember,” he admitted before repeating, “What do you know about him? Why have you lied to me all this time?”

“We haven’t lied,” Nabooru assured Ravio. “We’ve simply held back information.”

“At Link’s request,” Zelda added, quickly, before Ravio could open his mouth to argue. “He didn’t want you to know all these past years because you would have frustrated yourself when you learned you couldn’t do anything.”

Ravio drew himself up at that. “How do you know?” he nearly shouted. “I’m capable! I can hold my own!”

“Can you?” Ganondorf asked, and Ravio shot him a dark look that was ignored. “It wouldn’t matter anyway,” Ganondorf continued. “No strength or magic could rescue Link these past seven years.”

“Rescue--?”

“But now the time is here,” Impa said. “The walls are thinning, so to speak. You’ve been dreaming about him again, and they’re prophetic dreams no less. That means he can be saved.” 

Ravio felt a fluttering in his chest. “So let’s get him,” he said. “Come on, tell me where he is and we’ll go right now!”

“It’s not as simple as that,” Zelda told him. “There are steps to take--things to acquire. And only you can do it.”

“Me?” Ravio felt the fluttering in his chest turn cold. “Me? I’m… I’m not any good.” And it was the truth. Despite what he had said moments before, he knew if he was faced with any real danger he would freeze up and be unable to accomplish anything. It had happened time and time again. The bandit attack was only the most recent example. He could boast as well as anyone; get up to any amount of mischief; but when it came down to facing actual danger…

“I’m not _Saio,”_ Ravio whispered.

“Link could never save himself,” Ganondorf spoke up. “But Ravio can certainly save Link. It’s your turn to be his hero. Not the other way around.”

There were tears building in Ravio’s eyes, and he discovered they were out of anger more than grief. “How?” he hissed. “How can I be a hero when my role model abandoned me? How am I supposed to learn to be brave if the person who was supposed to protect me left? _How?”_ He slammed his fists on the table, and his tears stained the wood. “And why should I bother? Why? He didn’t care about me when he walked off into the night! He wasn’t thinking about me when he vanished!” He lifted his wet face and glared at Zelda. “What did you tell him that night?”

Zelda folded her hands in her lap. “I told him what he had been waiting for. He asked me to look into something for him, but it turned out my dreams told me everything he wanted to know. It must have been fate, or the hands of the Goddesses. Even so, I hesitated. I waited a long week after the dreams until Impa reminded me it would be dishonest to hold back anymore.”

“What was he waiting for?” Ravio asked next. 

“Redemption,” Zelda answered. “He felt he could never be a good _Saio_ to you without trying to make a difference somewhere.”

“What?” Ravio’s anger fell away, and he stared at Zelda in confusion. “What… What difference? He had already made a difference! He had saved me, and cared for me, and gave me a home and family! We were all happy together! What more could he have needed?”

“The weight of his dead tribe was always on his mind,” Impa reminded Ravio. 

“And before you came along, he nearly helped to destroy Hyrule,” Ganondorf added.

“His spirit was torn,” Nabooru said with a nod. “It’s no wonder he’s trying to do something equally significant to make up for his mistakes.”

“He doesn’t have to,” Ravio said. 

Impa nodded. “I agree, but he didn’t listen to me when I tried to stop him. Perhaps you should tell him yourself.” She brought out the book and slid it across the table to Ravio. “This was left behind along with Wint and Link’s bow. A note instructed to give them all to you, but the book was to be kept until the right time, and we were to keep silent. But now the answers are in front of you. This book will guide you to Link.” She stood up, and the others followed suit. “When you’re ready to take the first step, let us know.”

They left the library, talking amongst themselves in whispers. Ravio stared down at the eye on the book for a long while. When his fingers dared to open the cover, they shook. Tucked inside a pocket on the back of the cover was a folded piece of aged paper. Ravio opened it and sucked in a sharp breath at the familiar page. He recognized his just-learned handwriting. Someone had cut away the first few words, leaving one sentence and a drawing of happy people and animals.

_I’m going to protect them so that we’ll always be happy._

Ravio folded up the paper and returned it to its pocket with a bitter smile on his face. He looked to the first page, and the smile dropped. It was written in Sheikan. His heart sinking into his stomach, Ravio flipped past page after page. Sheikan leapt up at him from each one, but none of it stuck. He reached the end of the book without seeing a single word of Hylian, and he pushed the book aside so as to drop his head to the table and cry into the wood. 

“What’s wrong?” a voice asked after a minute. “Can’t you read it?”

Ravio lifted his head to find the stranger on the other side of the table. They looked puzzled. Ravio wiped his face clean. “What makes you think I can read Sheikan?”

“You knew it before,” the stranger answered.

“Oh, so now you suddenly remember me?”

“Of course. I was a great admirer of your _Saio.”_

“So was everyone,” Ravio said with a scowl.

“Not always,” the stranger pointed out. “There was a time when very few tolerated him. It’s Ravio, right?” The sudden shift drew an affirmation out of Ravio. “My name’s Sheik.”

“So you’re Sheikan?” Ravio asked. 

Sheik hesitated with their answer. “Well… I suppose. At least, I’m as much Sheikan as I can be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“I thought Sheikah couldn’t lie.”

“Do you want me to read your book or not?”

Ravio scowled at empty air. “Fine,” he snapped. “Read it if you want. It’s no good to me. I’ve forgotten how.”

Sheik relaxed a little. “No one forgets Sheikan. It’s the language of truth, and while easily lost is never entirely gone.” They braced one hand against the table so as to reach across it and pick up the book with the other. Straightening back up, they said, “Perhaps if you stop lying to yourself you’ll remember it.”

“Oh, so I’m the one lying?” Ravio shot back. “What’s another Sheikah doing living at the castle?”

Sheik didn’t answer that. Instead, they opened the notebook and flipped through it. “The first is a letter. Do you want me to read it aloud?”

A letter? Was it from… Ravio felt a chill down his spine, and he said through a dry mouth, “Please.”

Sheik noted the change in tone with a raised eyebrow, pushed aside their bangs, and began to speak.

_“Ravio,_

_“If you’re reading this, then that means the time has come when the way to me is opened again. I set out to accomplish something, but found myself trapped instead. My only hope of rescue lies with you._

_“Why you? Because you’re innocent. You don’t carry the sins I do. You can triumph where I failed. I wanted to save someone, but to do so I had to open the Door of Time again. With no Master Sword or object of time, I set out to find the Hero’s Aspects and the Affinity Sword._

_“But I soiled the Aspects no sooner than I touched them, and it was all I could do to seal them away again. I made for the Door of Time nonetheless, hoping I could try something else, but instead of opening it I only managed to get trapped._

_“The Door of Time can only be opened at certain times, spaced years apart--unless you happen to be a Goddess. If you’re reading this, Ravio, the time has come for you to do what I could not and save me in the process. The journey won’t be easy. By now the Aspects have festered and are likely strong enough to take on monstrous forms if released. And no one knows where to find the pieces of the Affinity Sword._

_“But I believe you can do it, so I have detailed what you must do in these pages. And you won’t be alone. My own dreams have come to me in this place, and they tell me you’ll have aid. Just follow the moon,_ min lytel rabeta, _and it will guide you as you have guided me._

_“With love, your_ Saio."

The words reached across the years to squeeze Ravio’s heart. He found himself crying again. He hadn’t heard Sheik’s voice, but rather Link’s. He wrapped the cloak tighter around him and closed his eyes in reminiscence. 

“Who wrote this?” Sheik asked while they flitted through the rest of the book.

“My _Saio,”_ Ravio answered. “Isn’t it obvious? The letter said so.”

“It also said he’s trapped,” Sheik pointed out. “Yet the book was found after he was trapped, I presume? How? If he can get a whole book out, why can’t he escape himself?”

“I don’t know--”

“And what’s with this rabbit and moon stuff?” Sheik scoffed and tossed the book onto the table. “Sounds like a fairy tale to me. Good luck finding someone to help you with such a thing. Aspects and Affinity Swords? That’s some story.” They snorted a laugh.

Ravio snatched up the book and gained his feet in a rush. “What do you know?” he shouted, and he would have continued on if not for the heavy hand that dropped onto his shoulder. Ravio gasped and looked up into Ganondorf’s calculating face. When had he arrived? Or… had he been here all along?

“Were you spying on me again?” Ravio asked. 

Ganondorf cut off further questions with a raised hand. “Answer him,” he said to Sheik, who refused to look at him. “What do you know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sheik replied in an even voice.

“Funny, because I could see your face the whole while you read that letter, and I saw that you recognized the things it mentioned.”

Ravio looked to Sheik in surprise. Now he could see it too. Sheik knew something about the Aspects and Affinity Sword in the letter. 

“There’s something else, too,” Ganondorf continued. “I remember someone from a few years ago. A young Sheikah who had narrowly escaped a bad end. They asked me to give them a _tatau._ It was a crescent moon on the back of their neck.”

Ravio leaned to the side as if to look behind Sheik. It mattered little; the robes’ high collar covered their neck. Even so, Sheik jerked around to put their back to the shelves. Ravio straightened up with a huff of annoyance. “So is it you? Are you the one who’s supposed to help me?”

“Just because I _might_ have a moon on my neck doesn’t mean anything!”

“But you know about the Aspects and the sword! You have to! You spend all your time in this library, reading and learning--”

“How would you know?”

“Why else would you be here?”

“Maybe it’s because there’s nowhere else for me to go. Have you thought of that?”

“Then come with me. We’ll explore the world and find these things together. It beats being stuck here, right?”

They were both speaking in raised voices, and while Ganondorf watched in amusement the sounds of the argument drew Impa, Zelda, and Nabooru back. They hadn’t been far away after all; perhaps they had even been in on Ganondorf’s spying. Impa walked around the table and stepped in front of Sheik, who flipped over to Sheikan to rattle off a few angry sentences at her.

“What’s going on?” Zelda asked Ravio. 

“They’re supposed to be my guide to find _Saio,_ I think,” Ravio answered. “But it looks like they don’t want to.”

Sheik moved around Impa and snapped out, “I never said that!”

Impa heaved a sigh and said, “It doesn’t matter. Neither of you can find Link as you are.”

Ravio frowned. “What? But the book--”

“The path to the Gate of Time starts in a Sheikah ruin,” Impa explained. “It’s a sacred place where only Sheikah may enter. Neither of you fit that description.”

“But what about…” Ravio trailed off because Sheik had looked away at Impa’s words, and their hands clenched at their crossed arms. Their face looked almost ashamed. 

“However…” Impa looked between Ravio and Sheik. “Perhaps this journey can serve as a second chance for both of you to be welcomed into the Sheikah tribe. If the two of you cooperate with each other and guide each other through the dangers that await, I’m sure that will serve as proof enough that both of you deserve the title of Sheikah.”

Sheik spun around and looked up at Impa with determination. “I’ll do it,” they declared before looking to Ravio. 

“I…” Why was he hesitating? Ravio swallowed the lump in his throat. “Sure,” he agreed, nodding.

The tension between him and Sheik eased away. Sheik moved around the table and held a hand out. “Give me the book then. I’ll get started on figuring out our first step.”

“I could tell you that,” Impa volunteered. “The Aspects lay within a certain tree--”

Ravio felt a jolt run through him.

“--rooted in the Lost Woods.”

“All right,” Ravio said. He had to show as much enthusiasm as Sheik. He wanted to save his _Saio,_ didn’t he? “Let’s get going then. Come on, Sheik.” He turned to leave, only to be stopped at once.

“Hang on a minute,” Zelda demanded, frowning. “A journey like this isn’t meant to be taken lightly.”

“Princess Zelda is right,” Ganondorf added. “The two of you will need to prepare and rest.”

“It wouldn’t help to get to know each other a little better either,” Nabooru finished. “Or you’ll be at each other’s throats before you leave Castle Town.”

Ravio grumbled and crossed his arms, but he recognized the wisdom. “I guess I’m staying in my old room,” he said.

Zelda smiled warmly. “It will be a pleasure to have you in the castle again, Ravio. We’ve missed you so much.” She pulled him into a hug, and he couldn’t help but return it when her familiar arms wrapped around him. Standing there in Zelda’s embrace, there was a feeling of coming home. But the absence of his _Saio_ made the moment incomplete.

#

Ravio was so used to hearing the roar of The Fortress well into the night that the silence of the castle unnerved him. Unable to sleep, he rolled out of bed and padded out into the halls. Even in the dark his memories prevailed, and he easily found his way to a door that led out to the gardens. Here, there was at last some noise. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked, and howls hooted. 

Sheerow had woken up at the creak of Ravio’s bed, and it had ridden out on Ravio’s shoulder. Ravio took a seat on the bank of a pond to watch the fireflies dancing over the water, and Sheerow settled back into sleep. The guay remained still for several minutes until something startled it awake. With a chirp, it stood up on Ravio’s shoulder and flapped its wings. He shushed it and looked towards the source of a barely-heard rustle. “Who’s there?” he hissed.

Out of the shadows stepped Sheik, still dressed in their library robes. Ravio relaxed with a sigh of relief. “I thought you were a monster.”

“Hmmm.” Sheik narrowed their eyes and turned to look out over the pond. “Found my place, did you?”

“Sorry, I didn’t know--”

“It’s fine.” Sheik sat down as well, a few feet from Ravio. “I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been sitting here and thinking for hours. Oh, hello.” Sheerow had flitted down to the grass by Sheik’s foot. “What’s his name?”

“Sheerow,” Ravio answered. “But I don’t know if it’s a he or she. It’s an albino so there’s no coloration to go by, and I never knew the difference anyway.” He watched Sheik gently rub a finger down Sheerow’s back. “What about you? Are you a--” Ravio cut off at the sight of Sheik’s sharp look. “I’m sorry,” he said instead. “That was rude.”

The click of Sheik’s tongue told Ravio they agreed. 

“So, uh…” Ravio searched for something that would earn him more than glares. “What Impa said earlier about us both needing to prove ourselves as Sheikah? Weren’t you born into the tribe? Why would you have to prove yourself?”

“Is it a natural talent, choosing the worst questions to ask someone you just met?” Sheik asked in return. Ravio didn’t know how to respond, and Sheik added, “This is going to be a long journey,” before they stood up and vanished into the dark gardens. 

“Hey, wait!” Ravio called, but Sheik didn’t heed him. Ravio huffed, crossed his arms, and glared at the pond. “How am I supposed to travel with someone like that?” he asked Sheerow. The guay tilted its head and chirped. “And you, getting all cozy with them. Don’t think you’ll be getting strawberries from me for a while.”

Sheerow recognized the word and chirped with enthusiasm, flapping its wings. Ravio sighed irritably, wishing for silence once more.


	4. Roughed Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravio and Sheik travel to the tree, following the instructions in Link's book while someone follows them.

# The Hero’s Aspects

### Chapter Four: Roughed Up

All of Sheik’s personal possessions fit in one rucksack. They never realized before how little they owned. They had nothing of any sentimental value, and only one outfit--formal wear for the occasional royal event. That wouldn’t do for a journey across Hyrule, and the library robes weren’t Sheik’s to have. Realizing this, they sat down on their bed and dropped their face into their palms. 

“You’re already off to a great start, aren’t you?” Sheik whispered in a bitter voice. 

A knock on their bedroom door raised Sheik’s head, and they called a question. The knob clicked open, and Impa stepped into the small room. She had a wrapped bundle in her hands that she handed to Sheik without a word before sinking down onto the bed beside them. Sheik unwrapped the paper and unfolded the clothes found within. They were Sheikan traveling clothes. Sheik looked up into Impa’s face as if expecting to see her break out into laughter. 

Instead, Impa smiled and kissed Sheik on the forehead. “These clothes will serve you well on your journey,” she promised. 

“These are Sheikan clothes,” Sheik pointed out.

“And when your journey is done, they will suit you better than they do now,” Impa finished.

Sheik put the clothes aside and said in a voice that shook, “Thank you, _Saio.”_ Their voice hardened a little before they added, “I don’t like him.” Impa laughed at that, and Sheik continued, “I’m serious. He’s rude, and he doesn’t even know what he wants--”

“He had a rough childhood,” Impa cut in. “He never fully recovered after Link vanished, and he grew to be a bit of a troublemaker. Years spent with the Gerudo have given him a rough edge as well. He identifies with them more than the Sheikah, and he’s eager to prove that in his words and actions. In short… Well, he’s a lot like his _Saio_ in ways. You’ll need patience with him--but that’s not to say you’re entirely agreeable yourself.”

Sheik blushed, and Impa went on to say, “I promise you Ravio will see right through your defenses. That apparent disinterest you showed in the library today won’t work for long against him. Neither will your anger or rudeness. He softened up Link, after all.”

“So I should just spill all of my personal secrets?” Sheik asked in a harsher voice than they intended. 

Impa frowned at the tone. “Of course not,” she answered. “But there has to be some openness between the two of you if you’re to succeed in rescuing Link.” Impa switched topics slightly. “In regards to the actual journey, we’ll be giving the two of you a gossip stone, so be sure to use it if you run into trouble. And you’ll have a horse from the castle stables. We’ll also give you a royal pass in case you need one.”

“Anything else?” Sheik asked when Impa paused.

Impa’s answer was to pull Sheik into a tight hug. “Take care of yourself--and Ravio,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to lose either of you.”

“I’ll do my best,” Sheik promised. They pulled away from Impa, and her fingers lingered on the back of their neck where she gently scratched at the crescent moon there. 

“You’ll do fine.”

#

_“Faedra,_ I want you to promise me something.”

Ganondorf stopped in the middle of checking over Ravio’s traveling bags for the third time--he had to make sure everything was here, Ravio could be so forgetful--and turned a smile onto the young man. “A promise? You know I’d do anything for you, Ravio.” He returned to checking the bags.

“Really?” Ravio pressed, and Ganondorf stopped for good with a frown. “Because I distinctly remember asking you several times not to spy on me, yet you continue to do it anyway.”

“Listen, Rav--”

“No, you listen for once!” 

The sharp demand quieted Ganondorf, but the Gerudo was by no means pleased with being bossed around. He folded his strong arms across his chest and waited with the frown still on his face. 

Ravio took a couple of deep breaths and stilled the tremble in his limbs. When he spoke again, his voice was softer but no less adamant. “Please, _Faedra,_ I’m begging you: don’t spy on me. This is something I need to do alone. If I knew you were looking over my shoulder every second…” He raised and dropped his arms as if in defeat. “Impa’s giving us use of a gossip stone. If we need help, I’ll call you. _I promise._ But please let me try to do this on my own. I need this. I need to know I can be brave on my own.”

Ganondorf’s fingers drummed against his arms. “Are you finished?” he asked, and Ravio nodded. “The answer’s no.”

_“Faedra!”_

“I’m not leaving this dangerous journey up to chance!” Ganondorf roared. “You expect me to sleep at night knowing no one’s watching your back? If I don’t keep an eye on you, who will?”

“Myself!” Ravio shouted back. “I’m capable!”

“So you’ve said, but I don’t believe it!”

“Don’t do this. Don’t--”

“I’m keeping an eye on you, and that’s final.”

_“I’ll get Nabooru to make you stop!”_

A long silence stretched. Ravio was surprised with himself. For the first time since he was a child begging for candy he had pulled the Nabooru card. He hadn’t dared before now, but as he watched the emotions work over Ganondorf’s face he began to wish he had done so years ago.

Ganondorf cleared his throat roughly. “What makes you think she’ll side with you?” he asked in a voice of forced calm. 

He wouldn’t meet Ravio’s eyes, and the young man realized something. “She doesn’t know you spy on me, does she?”

Ganondorf bristled. “So what?” he tried to shout, but the words cracked. “She doesn’t have to know. She doesn’t think we’ll lose you like… like we lost Link…” All at once, it was as if Ganondorf’s strings had been cut. He sunk down onto Ravio’s guest bed and slumped.

Ravio’s limbs slackened as well, and his anger bled out of him. _“Faedra…”_ He didn’t know what to say. He walked up to Ganondorf and wrapped his arms around the Gerudo’s hanging head. “I’ll come back safe and sound,” he promised. “And I’ll bring _Saio_ with me.”

“I know you will,” Ganondorf said in a tight voice. “I don’t have to watch you to know that. But if you’re in trouble, or if you need something--”

“You’ll be the first one I ask,” Ravio finished. “Thank you for listening,” he added, and Ganondorf nodded between his arms.

#

To their backs, Castle Town kicked up music and conversation that petered out of the curtain wall’s gates. Before them lay all of Hyrule Field with its tall grasses swaying in the spring breeze, and mountains and homesteads breaking up the horizon, situated between bodies of water.

Ravio raised a hand to Sheerow, perched on his right shoulder. The guay turned into his stroking finger with eyes closed. “The Lost Woods, right?” Ravio asked while he took in the calm field. Somewhere out there were the answers he needed. 

Sheik took out Link’s book. Ravio had reluctantly given them possession of it for the duration of the journey. He could do nothing with it, but Sheik understood every word despite claiming they weren’t as Sheikan as they looked. The first page’s letter was flipped over, and Sheik read the book silently before answering, “Yes, the Lost Woods like Impa said. The tree is apparently deep in the forest, not far from some ruin or another.”

“A ruin?” Ravio repeated. “What sort of ruin?”

Sheik shrugged. “It only says, ‘It’s the place where everything fell apart for us.’” They noticed Ravio tense up. “Sounds familiar, I take it.”

“Yeah,” Ravio answered slowly. “But I don’t know if I can find that place, let alone the tree.”

“There are directions,” Sheik revealed. “We need to get on the main road that goes through the Lost Woods, travel for about three miles, then cut into the woods on the right by a rock and follow a few landmarks listed here.” They closed the book and looked to Ravio. “Ready to go?”

Ravio pulled out of his thoughts on the past and nodded in answer. “I want to make camp for the night before we enter the woods,” he said. “It would be stupid to go in with only a couple of hours’ worth of daylight. Best to start fresh in the morning.”

“Sure,” Sheik answered. Ravio raised an eyebrow at their willingness to comply, but made no remark. Together, they set off for the Lost Woods with their horses walking companionably side-by-side and the sun warm on their cheeks. The field slipped away beneath the animals’ hooves, parting its grass and flowers under their steps only to spring back up in their wake. Sheerow occasionally took to wing to sample the air and seeds, and on more than one occasion returned to roost on Sheik’s shoulder. The Sheikah always had a smile for the bird.

When it came to Ravio, however, Sheik remained cold. It was rare to get an answer out of them that was more than two words long, and that was with Ravio doing his best to avoid potentially sensitive subjects. He had nearly given up by the time they stopped for their first break, but was inspired to speak up when he saw Sheik taking bites out of deer jerky.

“You eat meat.” Ravio stated. He was having an apple, and he rolled it between his hands while he waited for Sheik to stop chewing.

“So what?” Sheik asked after swallowing. “Don’t you? No, wait.” They smirked. “Guess not.”

Ravio felt his cheeks grow warm. “If you grew up around deer maybe you wouldn’t be shoving that jerky in your mouth.”

_“You_ didn’t grow up with deer,” Sheik pointed out. 

“That doesn’t matter! Goddesses, are you going to be like this the whole time? You know if you were nicer this would be a lot easier!”

Sheik snorted as if in disgust and tossed a strip of jerky into Ravio’s lap. They laughed when the young man flailed at it and kicked it away. 

“It’s not funny!” Ravio insisted. 

Sheik only laughed harder. “You acted like it was a snake!” 

Ravio crossed his arms and scowled. “I was bitten by a snake once,” he spat. “And I nearly died, so how ‘bout you try cutting me some slack, huh? So what if I don’t eat meat? There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re not normal yourself, you know.”

Sheik’s mirth dried up, and their eyes narrowed. They made a remark in Sheikan, then smiled in triumph when Ravio failed to understand. Ravio muttered, _“Yerka,”_ under his breath.

The rest of the day’s journey passed in sullen silence. Ravio spoke only when absolutely necessary, and Sheik didn’t offer so much as a hum in return. It was a relief to finally reach the Lost Woods’ tree line. They chose a spot of open field a fair distance from the dark trunks just as the sun was kissing the horizon. Ravio braced himself for the work ahead of him, knowing Sheik would be dead weight when it came to living off the land--even for a night.

Sheik slid out of their horse’s saddle--a Hyrulean standard gelding known by the odd name of Cork--and looked around the site. “There’s no wood for a fire. I’ll need to go the edge of the woods.”

“I’ll get it,” Ravio said. He was untying the first of two bedrolls.

Sheik shook their head. “You put up the tents. I’ve got the fire covered.” They set off before Ravio could argue. 

Ravio felt unease creep up his back. Not only was he concerned about Sheik’s competence when it came to building a fire, but there was only one tent. The Sheikah wasn’t going to like that. Ravio put it out of his mind as best as he could and focused on his work. The tent was up, and the horses were rubbed down and hobbled by the time Sheik returned with their arms loaded with wood.

The wood was placed beside a pit Ravio had dug out, and Sheik dropped to their knees to build up the fire. Once the wood was ready, they used a flash of multicolored flames to light it.

Ravio was impressed. “You know Din’s Fire?”

“That and a few others,” Sheik admitted, sounding proud.

“Lucky,” Ravio remarked. “My _Faedra_ tried teaching me magic, but I never got the hang of it.” He moved a saucepot into the fire. 

Sheik glanced around the camp. “Where’s my tent?” they asked. 

Ravio took a deep breath. “We have only one. Remember? We wanted to travel as light as possible in case we ran into trouble.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

“Impa was the one who suggested it.”

“You’re lying. _Saio_ would have discussed things with me, too.”

Ravio looked up from the soup in surprise. “Impa’s your _Saio?”_

Sheik ignored the question. “I want my own tent,” they insisted. Their voice was taking on a panicked edge. “We need another one. The first town we come to--”

“Wint’s not carrying another one,” Ravio cut in. “And I’m not paying for it. If you want a second tent, handle it yourself.”

Sheik huffed, cursed, and fell into a fuming silence. Their eyes stared at the fire while the soup cooked. “I’ll just sleep outside,” they finally said.

“You do that,” Ravio answered. He was tired of arguing, and he was hungry. When the soup was ready, he spooned out two bowls and handed one to Sheik. The Sheikah took it so roughly that some of the hot soup spilled onto their folded legs. Their lips twitched, but they gave no other signs of pain. The soup was allowed to cool and stain their new clothes.

Around sips of the soup, Ravio tried to engage Sheik in more civil conversation. “So have you ever been out like this before?” he asked first, and he nodded at the darkening field. “Or do you spend all your time in the library?”

“I’ve lived in rougher conditions,” Sheik answered. Surprised by the reply, Ravio leaned in with interest. “There was a while when I didn’t have a real home. I had only the people I was traveling with. Then… Well, something happened…”

_I remember someone from a few years ago. A young Sheikah who had narrowly escaped a bad end._

“…and I came to the castle where Impa set me up with a job. She named herself my _Saio,_ taking responsibility for me.”

“But what about the Sheikah tribe?” Ravio asked next. “You’re from that tribe, right? From that village? Don’t you have parents or family there? Or friends? But you keep saying you’re not Sheikah…”

Sheik didn’t answer any of these newest questions. In fact, they pretended not to hear and instead sipped at their soup. The evasiveness only drew more of Ravio’s interest, and he asked next, “What about that moon on your neck? What’s that about?” When Sheik again refused to answer, Ravio revealed, “I have one, too.”

Now Sheik appeared to show equal interest. “A moon?” 

“Not a moon.” Ravio put aside his bowl and yanked his shirt up and over his head. His hair crackled, and the sidelocks stuck to the fabric until it was pulled into his lap. “It’s a bird,” Ravio said as he shifted in place to put his back to Sheik. A small white bird with green wingtips was inked in mid-flight on the back of his left shoulder. “I got it before I started, uh, hating my _Saio_ for leaving me.”

“Well now you know he didn’t leave you by choice,” Sheik pointed out.

“Yes he did,” Ravio said in a dark voice. “He didn’t have to do anything. He could have just stayed with me and we would be happy.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Hmmm. So why a moss-tipped tern? Any significance?”

“Yeah, it’s--” Ravio stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Hey, you recognize it?”

“Huh? Oh.” Sheik’s face burned, and they dropped their eyes. “I saw a drawing in a book once,” they explained. The answer didn’t sound convincing, but Ravio knew better than to expect anything more. He pulled his shirt back on and returned to his soup. 

When the stars had replaced the sun, Ravio announced he was turning in for the night. He once more offered Sheik a share of the tent, but the Sheikah refused with a shake of their head and vanished into the dark to relieve themselves. Ravio was inside the tent by the time they returned, and he watched their shadow against the canvas walls as they spread their bedroll by the fire and lay down.

Some time passed in sleep before Ravio came around to frantic hands shaking his shoulders and Sheik’s strained voice hissing, “Ravio, wake up! _Wake up,_ there’s someone out there!”

They sounded scared. Ravio cursed and snatched up the bow and quiver that lay against the wall of the tent; he strapped the quiver onto his back as he walked outside. The surrounding field was dark. The fire had burned down to low flames, giving off a small ring of light. Everything beyond it was quiet.

Ravio strung an arrow and raised the bow. He waited for a sound or movement to indicate an enemy, but there was nothing. “I don’t see anyone,” he hissed to Sheik, who stood behind him, and he lowered the bow.

“Here.” Sheik moved up and kicked the fire back to life. 

“No! Goddesses…” Ravio continued cursing in Gerudian as the fire and sparks fed on the freshened wood, growing larger. “Just stay back, all right?”

Something snapped in the dark field, and with a gasp Sheik drew back behind Ravio, who raised his bow. Now he had a glare to deal with as well as the dark. He narrowed his eyes against the fire and scanned the patch of shadow where the sound had come from. He couldn’t be sure, but…

A darker shadow moved, and Ravio saw something catch the light of the fire. Something long and metallic. A knot rose in his throat, and his sighted arrow danced across the shadowy form. A sword or a blade, it didn’t matter. If they got in close his bow would be useless, and he would be defenseless--

A hand touched Ravio’s shoulder. He screamed, spun around, and let loose his arrow. It sailed past Sheik’s cheek a mere inch away and tore through the front of the tent where the fletching got stuck in the canvas, stopping it.

_“Eowt indri phyick!”_ Ravio shouted when he could speak again. Sheik stepped back in alarm, their red eyes wide. “Don’t you dare do that again!” he added in Hylian. “I could have killed you!”

“You were freezing up,” Sheik whispered. “I could see--”

“I’m fine!” Ravio spun back around and searched the dark again, but nothing was there anymore. A minute of silence passed before he turned around again. “It’s gone--whatever it was. Goddesses!” He snapped the tent flaps open and stormed inside. The bow and quiver were put aside with care, but the bedroll was kicked around before Ravio finally lay down.

Only when the curses had stopped did the tent flap open. Sheik crawled inside, moving slowly. They sat down against the inside of the flap and drew their knees up. “I’m sorry for scaring you,” they whispered.

“You didn’t scare me,” Ravio insisted while he glared at the tent wall. “I was surprised. Not scared.”

“If you say so,” Sheik answered. Before Ravio could snap a comeback, they added, “I’m just going to sit here for a while. I don’t want to be out there right now.”

Ravio pulled his blanket up over his shoulder. “Fine. Do what you want.” He closed his eyes in an angry frown, which eventually relaxed in a sleep that went uninterrupted for the rest of the night. 

#

Sheik was already awake and dressed in fresh clothes when Ravio crawled out of the tent. The leftover soup was put onto the freshened fire as breakfast, and Ravio took the time to meditate while it warmed up. There was a lot on his mind--namely, this journey. All they had as their guide was a book that, as Sheik had pointed out, should be an impossibility if Link was truly trapped somewhere. What did that mean? No matter how hard Ravio thought on it, he couldn’t think of a reason why the book made it to him but not Link himself. 

When the food was done, Ravio finished his meditation with a prayer to the Goddesses and joined Sheik in a quiet breakfast. After the meal, Ravio announced he was going to walk out to where the shadow had stood during the night. “I want to see if there are any prints,” he explained. “Be right back. Start breaking down the camp.”

There was nothing to be found in the field save for a small branch that could have been broken by anything. Ravio looked it over nonetheless, but tossed it aside in frustration. He returned to camp and helped Sheik, and not long after they were riding towards the road that cut through the Lost Woods.

The royal pass got them through the gate without having to pay a toll. The guard warned them not to stray off of the road, and to keep their eyes peeled for monsters. Ravio made to share an amused look with Sheik, but the Sheikah was nose-deep in Link’s book. Their lips moved over the words in silence. Ravio turned forward again with an odd feeling of longing in his heart.

They rode at an easy pace until Sheik called Ravio to stop. The horses were halted, and the Sheikah pointed out a rock on the right side of the road. It was marked with a carved symbol. “That’s the Sheikan character for ‘rabbit,’” Sheik revealed, and the longing in Ravio’s heart spiked. “Should we go in?” 

Ravio nodded, and he led the way into the trees and undergrowth. Cork balked behind him, but Sheik whispered a few words in their native tongue and the horse got moving with no more unease. 

“A rock arch, north to a fallen tree covered in mushrooms, east to an old stone shrine…” Sheik listed off the landmarks, and Ravio found them within minutes of each other. The travelers continued on this vein without otherwise speaking, but it was while they were heading for a cave that Sheik remarked, “This is all very odd.”

“What is?” Ravio asked.

“Well… Everything,” Sheik said, and they elaborated, “This entire book appears to be either written after the fact, or while Link was doing all of this. That makes no sense if he was sure he would be able to succeed in whatever he was doing.”

“So he left safeguards. So what?” Ravio said with a shrug. “If I was going on a journey like this, I would leave some record of it too in case something went wrong.”

“But how did this record appear then if Link is trapped?” Sheik asked. “And the rest of the book… It goes on to describe the Aspects and Affinity Sword, but if Link got trapped before he managed to get them all…” Sheik’s shoulders drooped. “It doesn’t make any sense. How would he know so much if the letter claimed otherwise? And if he did know so much, and you’re supposed to be the one to do all this, why not wait until you were older and tell you then? He could have spent all this time with you--”

Ravio turned in his saddle. “Don’t you think that’s all gone through my head?” he questioned in a breaking voice, and Sheik quieted. “Ever since you pointed out that the book is an impossibility, all I’ve been thinking about is the fact that he didn’t have to disappear! Goddesses, you’re so tactless!” He turned forward again and hunched his shoulders.

Sheik didn’t speak again until they reached the cave. “We go north from here, and we’re there,” they relayed before falling silent again. 

The travelers turned their horses north and continued. It was only ten minutes later that Ravio halted Wint. Sheik stopped alongside him, and together they stared through the trees at the grey house that sat in a clearing. It was a decrepit manor with an overgrown front garden and an orchard in the back. Sheik noticed Ravio shaking in his saddle, and they asked, “Do you want me to check it out first?”

“Yeah,” Ravio answered quietly.

Sheik slid out of their saddle and moved forward through the trees with barely a sound. Ravio watched them emerge into the sunlight that blanketed the clearing. They looked around, turning in place sometimes before taking a few steps in one direction or another to do the same thing. After a few minutes, Sheik turned towards the trees and called, “It’s all right! There’s no evil here!” Only then did Ravio ride into the clearing, leading Cork behind him.

“So you know this place?” Sheik asked after Ravio had joined them by the garden. 

“Unfortunately,” Ravio muttered. He pointed to the second clearing, beyond the orchard. “My second life ended there.”

“What happened?”

“I… I don’t like to think about it.”

Sheik looked almost disappointed. They walked off to study the rest of the yard. The covered well was easily maneuvered around, as well as a scorched piece of earth surrounded by ager bloom. Ravio avoided looking at the latter, but Sheik plucked some of the medicinal flowers “in case we need them.”

The house’s structure was still sound, although any signs of the cleaning done years ago had long-since vanished. The furniture was rotted through as well; a kitchen chair crumbled beneath Ravio’s weight when he sat on it. They avoided the foyer altogether. Something about it gave Sheik a bad feeling--not necessarily an evil one. Simply uncomfortable.

They walked out to the orchard after investigating the house, and Sheik plucked down an apple despite Ravio’s frantic warnings not to. The juice that ran from Sheik’s bite was clear, and they claimed the apple tasted just like the Hylia variety it resembled. Nevertheless, Ravio avoided both eating them and stepping on the fallen ones. 

Sheik had the apple nibbled down to its core by the time they and Ravio reached the second clearing. There was little to see at first glance, but after splitting away from Sheik Ravio discovered something familiar. It was the odd relic Link had once carried with him. Ravio picked it up with trembling hands from amongst a patch of high grass. But when he opened its small hatch and pulled the trigger, the relic fell apart like the rotted kitchen chair. Ravio brushed the pieces of soft wood from his hands and raised his eyes to find Sheik standing not far off with a sword in their hands.

“This looks old,” Sheik remarked. “But it’s in perfect condition. Here.” They turned and held out the sword to Ravio. “I noticed you don’t carry any blades. Why not try this one?”

Ravio took a step back. “That sword…”

_If you’re determined to protect others, then I grant you this sword to aid you in your quest._

Ravio’s body tensed, and he snapped, “Put it down!” 

Sheik arched an eyebrow, but tossed the sword down to the ground. “Tree’s this way,” they said abruptly as they walked past Ravio. He followed them to the back of the clearing with several glances back at the discarded sword. 

Not far into the trees, a brown trunk rose high into the sky. The tree was gnarled from roots to bare branches, and a tall crack as wide as Ravio’s shoulders split the front of its trunk. It looked like a dead, sideways eye.

“The Aspects are in there,” Sheik said. “The book makes it sound like there’s a passage that leads underground. You’ll find them at its end.”

Ravio frowned at the tree. “Seems an odd place to put something so important.”

“Not necessarily. Odder things have been found in the oddest places.”

“Hmmm. Well, let’s go.”

Sheik laughed at that. “I’m not going in there,” they said with a shake of their head. “This is your job. I’m only the guide.”

“I’m not going in there alone,” Ravio argued. “You’re as much a part of this as me, so let’s go.”

“It’s not my _Saio.”_

“You said you admired him.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to risk my neck for him.”

It was Ravio’s turn to laugh. “So you’re a coward.”

“Says the one who won’t go in alone,” Sheik jabbed back. 

Ravio bristled, huffed, tried for a comeback, and failing to find one turned back to the tree. He stepped up to the crack and braced his hands on either side of it. Cold air wafted up from inside the trunk, and he could see a set of stone stairs that spiraled down into the darkness. “I’ll be right back,” he promised through a dry throat. Sheik only waited. 

The first step was a shaky one, but with each one after it Ravio felt a little more bravery come to him. This wasn’t so bad. He kept his left hand against the inside of the tree trunk as he descended. Wood quickly gave over to dirt, followed by stone. The steps remained uniform, although the years had taken chunks out of them here and there. Once, Ravio looked up to see if Sheik was watching him, but the crack was unblocked.

At the bottom of the stairs, Ravio found a stone passageway lined with flickering torches. It was simple enough to follow, and he began to realize this was easier than he had feared. The passage led him to a natural cavern where stalactites and stalagmites crowded the space. Some had grown so large that they had come together to form a column. Ravio navigated his way around the formations until he came to the back of the cavern. In the wall there was a set of padlocked doors that blocked off further progress, looking very out of place.

Ravio tried opening the doors despite the padlock. They barely moved in their frames. The padlock was too strong to break no matter what Ravio tried; kicking it, bashing it with a broken stalactite, pulling on it… It remained stubbornly locked.

A sigh drew Ravio’s attention back to the cavern as a whole, and he jumped when he saw Sheik standing a few feet behind him. “You were taking too long,” Sheik offered as an explanation. “I thought you had been eaten. What’s wrong? Didn’t you learn how to pick locks while living with the Gerudo?”

“We’re not thieves,” Ravio insisted. “That’s ugly stereotyping the soldiers pass around. It’s all the strange people who move through our city who give us a bad reputation.”

“Hmmm.” Sheik stepped up to the door, pulling out two small tools from a pouch on their belt. They crouched in front of the hanging padlock and went to work on it. In less than a minute, it clicked open. Sheik hummed a pleased sound and tossed the padlock into Ravio’s hands. “Hang on to that. We’ll practice on it--”

The doors swung open and caught Sheik in the back, sending them sprawling with a cry of pain. Ravio didn’t have time to help them, as he was caught up in a rush of roars, howls, and darkness that swept out from behind the opened doors. It punched through him, and before he hit the ground he was well on towards unconsciousness. He struggled against it, but he was no match for how quickly it overwhelmed him. 

_It didn’t take her long to find him after he returned. He kept his eyes on the window even as her shadow fell over him. They were training in the yards. Training as if nothing had happened._

_“I know what he meant to you,” she was saying. “It seems in these more recent years he was raising you more than I was.” A pause. “We never really discussed this, but if it will help you in your grief and moving on I would be more than honored to name myself your_ Saio--”

_“No.” His face screwed up with pain. “Everyone who gets close to me dies. No.”_

_“You make the mistake of thinking you’re not close to me.”_

_“I said no.”_

_Her hand fell on his shoulder, and he wished he was a child again so that he could crawl into her lap and sleep his troubles away like old times. “Regardless, I’m here for you.”_

#

Ravio came around to the ground moving underneath his back and legs. He was being dragged; he could hear someone’s heavy breathing as they struggled to move him. In his hand hung something cold--the padlock. He tightened his grip around it and felt it click closed. His eyes opened onto Sheik’s strained face. They were nearly at the start of the stone passageway.

“You’re awake!” Sheik gasped when they noticed Ravio’s open eyes. “Can you stand? I don’t think I can drag you up the stairs.”

Sheik released their grip, and Ravio pulled himself up with the Sheikah’s support. After pocketing the padlock, he took some steadying breaths and asked, “What happened?”

Sheik leaned against the wall. “I think it was the Aspects,” they answered. “All I saw was darkness surround you. I couldn’t do anything--I could barely move.” Their face showed some pain. The door had hit them hard. “But as soon as the cloud of darkness appeared, it flew off down this passage. I chased after it and saw it split apart into three pieces before escaping outside. It had to be them--the spoiled Aspects.”

Ravio cursed weakly. “We have to hunt them down?” he asked. Sheik could only shrug. “What does the book say? You said it talked about the Aspects more.”

Sheik raised a hand, begging for patience. “Later. Let’s get back to the surface first. I don’t like it down here.”

Ravio could agree with that much. He followed Sheik up the spiral stairs. It was a slow climb; both of them were sore. Despite their bruised back, Sheik moved quicker than Ravio and was through the crack first. Ravio was a few seconds behind. He was stopped by Sheik’s arm, which shot out to halt him.

Someone was standing not far from where the horses were secured. It was a man with long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail, a green scarf that covered the bottom half of his face, and yellow red-rimmed eyes. But it was his left arm that drew one’s attention. A large metal gauntlet extended from just below his elbow to the whole of his hand, ending in clawed fingers. The gauntlet’s claws caught the sunlight and glimmered.

“That’s…” Ravio began, and Sheik nodded. It was the one who had watched their camp the night before.

The man raised his gauntlet and pointed it at Ravio. “You are the one who released the Aspects?” he called across the camp. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “You don’t look strong at all.”

Ravio would have challenged such a claim, but instead his attention was fixed on the glinting metal gauntlet. His mind was away, years in the past, and seeing a different enemy altogether. He didn’t react in time when the man charged forward with gauntlet raised. Sheik yelled a warning and tried to ward him off, but the man easily pushed the Sheikah aside. They fell to the ground with a grimace of pain when their sore back was jolted.

Ravio snapped back to the present and found himself being attacked. He didn’t have time to struggle or fight back. The breath was knocked out of him by a punch to the gut, and he was kicked to the ground. The gauntlet swept down and fell around his head like a cage. He froze, too afraid and too breathless to do anything but shake.

“No, you’re not strong at all,” the man remarked. “It’s a wonder the Aspects didn’t chew you up as soon as they were loosed. Perhaps you were too small a meal for them.” The gauntlet’s claws shimmered with magical energy. “The merciful thing would be to end your quest now before you suffer a worse fate at their hands.”

The claws closed in, and still Ravio could do nothing; not even when their cold surface touched his skin. But they stopped there when Sheik jumped onto the man’s back. There was a brief struggle with the man trying to shake the Sheikah off, and Sheik clawing to maintain a hold. It ended when the point of a dirk was pressed against the man’s neck. Ravio traced the arm holding it to find Sheik wearing a look of fierce determination.

“Unless you want to see how fast your blood will spill out, you’ll let him go,” Sheik threatened. 

The man chuckled. “Seems your pet got its fur ruffled,” he remarked to Ravio.

“Now!” Sheik snapped. 

The gauntlet rose up from around Ravio’s head, and Sheik slid off of the man. Ravio waited for the claw to plunge into his stomach, but the man backed away from Sheik’s raised dirk with his mismatched hands up. The magic had gone out of the claws. 

Ravio gained his feet with a grunt of pain. “Who are you?” he wheezed. Nearby, Sheik stood tense and ready with the dirk.

The man’s eyes showed he was smirking. “The name is Byrne, and I promise you this will not be the last time you see me. Perhaps next time, you will be a little stronger.” With another chuckle from behind his mask, he turned and walked away into the woods where he soon vanished into the shadows.

**#######**

**Translations:**

_Yerka:_ [Gerudian] Jerk

_Eowt indri phyick!:_ [Gerudian] You fucking asshole!


	5. Clearing the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravio and Sheik open up a bit to each other before they head to The Fortress, and Ravio comes across an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a lengthier chapter today. Enjoy, and thanks for reading.

# The Hero’s Aspects

### Chapter Five: Clearing the Air

Only when the last glint of Byrne’s clawed hand faded away did Ravio release a sigh of relief. “Goddesses.” He let out a shaky laugh. “You saved my life, you know?” Sheik looked at him, and Ravio looked down at his feet. “I know I haven’t been the most welcoming traveling partner, but I’m glad you’re here. Thanks.”

Sheik looked surprised, and also a little ashamed. “It was nothing,” they said. “And… I’m glad you’re okay.” They shared a small smile between each other. Ravio was sure it was the first spark of friendship between them. 

“So, who in the Goddesses’ names was he?” Ravio asked Sheik, who shook their head. “You didn’t know him?”

Sheik shook their head again. “Honestly, someone like that was the last person I thought we would meet.”

“You’re expecting someone else?”

Sheik ignored the question. “We should get out of here. He might come back.”

Ravio laughed weakly. “I’m in no state to ride,” he said. “I’m sure you’re hurting more. Is your back okay?”

“It’s fine.” Sheik moved away from Ravio’s hand, which had reached out in concern.

Ravio pulled his hand back. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” Sheik rushed to assure Ravio. “I’m fine.” The strain in their face refuted that. “All right. I guess we’re staying for a day. The house seemed stable. We can take shelter in there for the night.”

“Oh. Right.” It made sense, but it didn’t make Ravio feel any better. He dropped his eyes again, spied the padlock lying in the grass, and stooped to pick it up. His banged-up muscles protested, and his head swam briefly. Ravio steadied himself and said, “I want to get in touch with _Faedra._ Maybe he knows who that Byrne guy is.”

 _“Saio_ might know, too,” Sheik suggested, and Ravio nodded in agreement. “I’m taking it with us, by the way.”

“Taking what?” Ravio asked. 

In answer, Sheik walked away to where Rusl’s sword lay in the grass. Link’s sword. They picked it up and brushed off the dirt. “It’s a waste to leave it!” Sheik called. Ravio looked away without saying anything for or against the idea.

Back at the house, Ravio and Sheik unloaded the horses and carried everything inside. Sheik found a length of cloth which they tied around the sword’s blade before stowing it away with their saddlebags. Ravio cleaned out the woodstove in the kitchen and filled it with fresh wood. A keese flew out when the first sparks caught light, and there was a brief panic while he and Sheik attempted to shoo the monster out of the house. Sheerow was the one who succeeded; driving the keese out with beak and talons, and shrill sounds. 

Once both travelers’ nerves were calmed, the gossip stone was pulled out. Ravio wanted to call Ganondorf first, but Sheik insisted on Impa. They argued for a while before Ravio remembered all three stones could be connected. After that, it was only a matter of getting everyone’s attention. Nabooru joined in alongside Ganondorf, and Zelda chimed in with Impa. The gossip stone flickered with all of their voices.

“Never heard of him,” Ganondorf was the first to say, “and I’ve seen a lot of people coming and going through my city. A man with a metal claw would have stood out.”

“Perhaps he’s from overseas,” Impa suggested. There was a distinct pause, as if she was waiting for someone else to speak up, before she asked, “Are you sure neither of you know him?”

“We’re sure,” Ravio answered. “But he seemed to know both of us, and he heavily implied we wouldn’t see the last of him.”

“We were enough to handle him, though,” Sheik added, “even banged up as we are.”

“You’re hurt?” Zelda pressed, and there passed a few minutes of fussing while Sheik and Ravio tried to downplay their bruises. It led into a conversation about the escaped Aspects, and Ravio said something he had been holding back since waking up.

“I saw him,” he revealed. “I saw _Saio._ I… I think it was a memory. He was a lot younger, and he was in Hyrule Castle with you, Impa.” He went on to describe the vision.

“Rusl’s death,” Impa said. “Link left the castle not long after that. Why would you see something like that?”

Zelda spoke up next. “Link’s letter claims he spoiled the Aspects when he tried to collect them. Maybe that means they took on some of his worse memories and emotions, like paper absorbing an ink stain.”

Ganondorf’s grumbles turned the stone’s light dark for a few seconds. “What do you think, Nabooru?” he asked next. “You haven’t said anything yet.”

Nabooru’s voice sounded as if she had just rose out of a deep thought. “It’s a lot to take in,” she answered. “I think it’s best to brace yourselves for anything in regards to the Aspects. If they’ve fed off of Link’s turmoil, they could take any shape. As for this Byrne character… I think he’s a lot more than what he seems, but I don’t think he’s as dangerous as you think. He has magic, it seems, and that claw of his. If he wanted to end the two of you, it would have been easy. Instead, he made a point to walk away.”

“My blade was at his throat,” Sheik spoke up fiercely. “And he’s not the only one with magic.”

“Don’t be so full of yourself,” Nabooru shot back.

Sheik’s face darkened. “You think I don’t know how to handle myself?”

“Sheik, that’s enough,” Impa cut in before things could escalate, and the Sheikah scoffed before pulling back from the stone. “Just be careful. And it wouldn’t hurt to try and teach Ravio some of your magic, just to be safe.”

“He doesn’t have the talent,” Ganondorf said. Ravio didn’t even try to argue the point; his _Faedra_ was right.

But Impa wasn’t so easily deterred. “Perhaps a different teacher would help,” she answered. “There’s no harm in trying.”

Ravio wished he had Impa’s confidence. Instead, he slumped in his chair and said nothing. With both him and Sheik drawing away from the conversation, Zelda ended it with a wish that the two of them took care. The gossip stone went dark, and Ravio pocketed it.

“Well, that was pointless,” Sheik remarked. They stood up with a noticeable wince in their face. “I’m going to read more into the book and take down some notes so that we know where to go from here.”

“All right,” Ravio said. “I’ll work on cleaning the bedrooms so that they’re at least livable. Oh, hang on. I have some red salve if you want it for your back.”

The jar was retrieved from Ravio’s bags and tossed into Sheik’s hands. They nodded a stiff thanks, pocketed it, and left to study the notebook. Ravio split off for the second floor. 

After an hour’s work in the neglected bedrooms, Ravio felt dirtier than a bullbo’s rear end. Once the last of the dust had been expelled out the windows, he grabbed a clean change of clothes and headed outside to the stream that ran through the property. The water still retained some of the past winter’s cold, but it was clear and refreshing. His goosebumped skin smoothed out, and he relaxed in the gurgling water with his head on the bank until he heard Sheik call to him.

Ravio turned around in the water and beckoned Sheik with a wet hand. “Come on in!” 

The Sheikah shook their head, but drew close enough to ease themselves down on the grass and speak to Ravio. The notebook was in their hands, and a few pieces of paper stuck out of its pages like bookmarks. 

“You’ll like this,” Sheik began with a rare, genuine smile. “The Aspects have escaped to their old haunting grounds where they once resided within dangerous monsters. Apparently a hero of old defeated the monsters and gathered the pieces together before they were sealed away in that tree for one reason or another--the book isn’t clear on that part. Anyway, there are three Aspects: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. The first one, Power, rests in some old ruins in the Gerudo Desert.”

Ravio raised his chin from the bank with his own smile. “We get to visit my _Faedra_ first?” Sheik nodded, and Ravio smiled wider. “That’s great! I can show you where I grew up, and you can see all of The Fortress. It’s an amazing place--”

“I’m sure,” Sheik cut in. They didn’t sound as enthusiastic as Ravio, but at least they weren’t outright against the idea. 

“What about the other Aspects?” Ravio asked. 

“The Aspect of Wisdom lies beyond the Zora Kingdom, near the head of Zora River. The Aspect of Courage is at the top of a mountain above the Goron Village.”

“And when we get them all?” Ravio pressed. “What happens after that?”

Sheik wouldn’t answer. “Let’s worry about finding the first Aspect before we get ahead of ourselves,” they said instead. “The first place is referred to as The Fractured Oasis. Lord Ganondorf should know something of it. We’ll head out to the desert first thing in the morning.”

“Got it,” Ravio said with a nod. “Hey, I’m done in here. If you want to go get some clean clothes while I dry off, you can have the stream to yourself. It should help your back, too. I promise not to peek,” he added with a smile.

Sheik looked almost surprised by the consideration. “Thanks,” they said. 

“Although,” Ravio added, “you really should work on your inhibitions a little. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, by the looks of it, and we won’t always have the convenience of a stream and roomy shelter.”

Sheik frowned a little. “I know that,” they murmured. They gained their feet and turned from the stream. After they had vanished into the house Ravio pulled himself out of the stream, dried off, and changed into clean clothes. He was out of sight when Sheik returned, and it was with a sigh of relief that the Sheikah slipped into the cool water.

Inside the house, Ravio laid out some fruit as a treat for Sheerow on a spotted table, and spent a few minutes watching theguay eat and preen. Eventually, he pulled the gossip stone out of his pocket and walked up to the bedroom he had picked out for the night. It was the same one he had slept in when he, Ganondorf, and Link had been trapped in time. He dropped down onto the moth-eaten bed and felt it tremble threateningly on its rotted legs. 

Impa answered Ravio’s call into the stone, like he had hoped. “Something come to mind about that man?” she asked after saying hello.

“No, not really,” Ravio answered. “I was just curious… Did he ever call you _Saio?”_

A sad chuckle came through the stone. “No. But I was his _Saio_ nonetheless. I raised him and protected him. That was enough for both of us.”

The answer irked Ravio. It reminded him of what he didn’t have with Link. “I don’t know why I still call him _Saio,”_ he rushed out. “He hasn’t raised me or protected me. Instead, he ran off to do some stupid thing he didn’t have to do!”

“I know.” Impa sounded weary of the conversation already. It was little surprise. Ravio had extensively voiced his opinion on Link’s disappearance many times over the years. 

“I hate him! I love him, but I hate him!”

“Calm down,” Impa implored. “Remember your mediation.” 

Ravio slowed his breathing, which had quickened with his rising voice. As he focused inward, the flushed heat in his cheeks and forehead began to retreat, and his hands stopped trembling. 

“That’s better,” Impa praised. “The last thing we need is you disappearing, too.”

“I made a promise,” Ravio said in a strong voice. “Never again.”

“I know,” Impa said again, this time with a smile in her voice. “Link made his promise, too. He promised to always protect you, and I know even now he’s doing that. Have faith in him, all right? His memories have already reached you, after all. Perhaps with a little bit of effort on your part you can reach him.”

“I’ll try,” Ravio said. 

“Don’t just try, _do,”_ Impa countered. “How are you getting on with Sheik?”

Ravio was thrown off by the shift in topic, and he stumbled over a few words while his brain caught up to Impa’s question. “All right, I suppose,” he finally answered. “They’re mad because we only have one tent. They slept outside it last night. They acted like a jerk, too.”

“And I’m sure you’ve been perfectly accepting on your part,” Impa teased. Ravio grumbled something in Gerudian. “Sheik has been in a rough spot just like you, so try to be a little more understanding, all right?”

“I am understanding! I’m just mad because they can read _Saio’s_ book and I can’t!” Ravio bit his lip. He hadn’t mean to admit that, but the words had tumbled out ahead of his irritation with Sheik. “I mean…” Ravio stopped, fuming. “It’s fine,” he eventually said. The words didn’t sound convincing. “At least one of us knows where to go. And we’re starting to get along. Mostly. They even saved my life today, so that’s something.”

“Perhaps Sheik can help you remember our tongue,” Impa suggested in a gentle tone. “You can practice with Link’s book, and get to know each other.”

“Maybe,” Ravio said with a frown on his face. “They did say they would teach me lock-picking.”

Impa muttered something that was likely disapproving. “All right. If that’s all, I need to get to the barracks. Stay in touch.” The stone went dark after Impa’s parting words. Ravio stared down at it for several minutes, thinking on both the past and the future. His fingers played with the stone while he mused. The stone vanished up one sleeve and appeared from the other, and glided over his knuckles in repeating patterns. When it came to manipulating small objects--rupees, jewelry, cards--he was among the best. 

Sheik had already moved away from the shadow of Ravio’s bedroom door. They had listened in on the conversation, standing still and quiet with the skills they had learned growing up in their tribe. But their back was panging without the cool stream to soothe it. Ravio’s salve was in Sheik’s hands, bundled in the shirt they hadn’t been able to put on. They squeezed the jar through the cloth, hoping it would be enough to ease the pain. 

In their bedroom, Sheik tossed aside the shirt, unscrewed the jar of salve, and took out a small dollop of it. No sooner did their arm rise above their shoulder did their back pang sharply. Their arm trembled and refused to bend back. Cursing, Sheik scraped the salve back into the jar and fumed in silence. Unless they did something, they were going to be too sore to ride tomorrow.

It couldn’t be helped. Sheik gritted their teeth against the idea. But really, how long did they expect to hide the truth? Ravio was right. Sheik had to put aside their inhibitions before things became inconvenient. “Ravio?” Sheik called in a voice that shook a little. 

Ravio heard Sheik’s call and hurried to answer it; they sounded like they were in pain. He walked down the short stretch of hall between the bedrooms and turned into the doorway. When he saw Sheik’s bruised and scarred back, he at once turned out of the room. A squeak of a gasp escaped through the fingers that clasped over his mouth. 

Ravio heard the bed creak when Sheik shifted. “Ravio?” they called again. Ravio didn’t answer. “Ravio, it’s okay. You can come in.”

Ravio dropped his hands. “You sure?” he called back in a trembling voice.

A long pause followed; so long that Ravio almost walked away. “I need your help with something,” Sheik finally said. “Please come in.”

“Okay,” Ravio answered with forced confidence. He slowly turned into the room and watched Sheik shift on the bed to face him. They were bare-chested, and there was pain in their face. Their damp hair hung down, out of its braid.

“My shoulders are too sore. I can’t reach back.” Sheik passed the jar of red salve from palm to palm. “Do you mind?”

“Do you?” Ravio returned. Sheik couldn’t even meet his eyes, and their shoulders were hunched so far in it was as if they were trying to fold themselves in half. 

Sheik chuckled. “Don’t have much of a choice. The pain’s pretty bad--brings up bad memories. You did say I should start loosening up, but I only let my guard down around people I trust. So…” They tossed the jar into Ravio’s startled hands. “Let’s think of this as a trust exercise.”

“You can trust me,” Ravio assured Sheik. He sat down beside them, and Sheik turned their scarred back to him. Ravio marked the vertical lines with uneasy curiosity while he unscrewed the jar lid. A lock of hair was moved aside, and a muscle in Sheik’s back twitched when the cool salve touched the bruised skin. “So who whipped you?” 

It was a while before Sheik returned, airily, “Who said I was whipped?”

“I’ve seen a lot of ex-criminals move through The Fortress over the years.”

Sheik sniffled and dropped the nonchalant act. “Someone stopped trusting me,” they answered in a quiet voice.

The second smear of red salve traced down the right side of Sheik’s shoulders and back, and Ravio’s hands began to work the medicine into a thin layer. “I’ve been there,” he said as he worked.

“I didn’t see whip marks on _your_ back when you showed me your _tatau.”_

“I meant the other,” Ravio clarified. “I broke my _Faedra’s_ trust a couple of years ago.”

“Really?” Sheik’s head rose a little out of its hunch. “You two seemed close when I saw you together.”

“Yeah, well, there was a short while when we strayed apart. I was mad at everyone back then--my _Faedra,_ Nabooru, Zelda and Impa… Later I realized it was my _Saio_ I was most mad at. Anyway, I ran away from The Fortress. I took Wint and a bag, and I rode for the coast. I figured no one would find me on the other side of the kingdom--at least for a while. And I was right. I spent a night on the beach before making for Gambler’s Den.”

“That cesspool of villainy?” 

“You know it?” Ravio asked with a little laugh. Sheik’s lips tightened. “Yeah, I wanted to take a ship away from Hyrule, but I couldn’t hide the way I look. No one would take me on board out of fear of bad luck and drawing the ire of Gerudian pirates. They don’t get along with us desert Gerudo, and I was no king so I couldn’t work any influence over the captains. But I stayed in the port, and I used what rupees I had to make more rupees. I discovered I have a great talent for cheating people. I learned how to manipulate cards, how to palm money, how to pickpocket…”

“But not how to pick locks,” Sheik put in, and Ravio laughed again which drew a brief smile to the Sheikah’s lips.

The salve was applied. Ravio sealed the jar, wiped his hands clean on his trousers, and pulled Sheik’s hair into his hands. Sheik tensed and tried to twist around, but Ravio pleaded for them to relax. “I do this all the time for the people at home,” he explained, and his fingers began to braid the hair together. Sheik settled, still tense.

“Where was I? Right, well, more rupees equaled more problems. I was sleeping with a different stranger every night, and half of them robbed me like I robbed them. I started drinking, and I got hooked on Terminian root. And even through all of that I couldn’t stop gambling away every rupee I got in hopes of turning a profit. Actually, it stopped being about the rupees. It became about burying all of my terrible feelings under the thrill of winning and losing.

“After two months, I went from being at the top to scraping the bottom. My last possession was Wint, and I lost him in a card game. Someone saw through my tricks and beat me with their own. Then their men beat me. I was laying half-dead behind an inn when he appeared. He must have been watching me all that time, waiting for me to hit bottom. I don’t know how he did it, but he got me and Wint out of there and took us home.”

“Lord Ganondorf?” Sheik asked. They had been so quiet through the last half of the story that Ravio had almost forgotten he was telling it all to someone.

“Yeah,” Ravio confirmed. He secured the end of the braid with Sheik’s hair tie. “That was when the spying started. Even now, when he promised to let me go on this journey on my own, I have to wonder if he’s watching.”

“You’re not on your own,” Sheik reminded him. “And I’m sure he’s keeping his promise. He cares about you.”

“Yeah, he does,” Ravio said with a nod. “He nursed me back to health after I got back home. He stayed up with me through the night when I was delirious from Terminian root withdrawal. I’ll never forget what he did for me. When I needed him, he was there. And he even helped you, right?”

“Mmmm.” It was clear Sheik didn’t want to elaborate to the extent that Ravio had. They reached out to where their shirt lay on the bed. Already some of the pain must have eased, for they had only a little trouble pulling the shirt on.

Ravio watched the scars vanish behind a wall of cloth. “So, um…” He sucked in a quick, bracing breath and tried to word his question in the best way. Sheik had already shown they could be touchy. They looked over their shoulder when Ravio hesitated, and he decided to just ask straight out. “How should I talk to other people about you?”

Sheik frowned in confusion. “What?”

“I mean, should I say ‘he’?”

A flush of red swept up Sheik’s face, and they turned their eyes away. “It’s not as easy as that,” they answered in a voice that could barely be heard. “I know what I looked like a minute ago, but I’m not a boy. Not like you.”

“So you would prefer ‘she’?” Ravio asked next.

Sheik’s shoulders hunched in. “It’s like you said.” Their voice cracked. “I’m not normal. I’m not a boy, but I’m not altogether a girl either. I wasn’t born right.” They sucked in a shuddering breath. “That’s why I have my name. It’s given to people like me in my tribe in honor of a Sheikah who helped a hero of old. That Sheikah was a princess, but she lived as a man for seven years.” Sheik’s hands clenched, and their jaw trembled. “But it’s not an honor. It’s a joke. That princess could leave that body whenever she wanted, but I’m stuck with my broken one!”

Sheik was trying not to cry, but their hands had to wipe away angry tears. Ravio mused on what to say while the Sheikah fidgeted and tried to collect themselves. “Thanks for the honesty,” he began. “I know it’s a sore subject, and I didn’t want to insult you again. I’m sorry for what I said yesterday.”

Sheik shook their head. “You didn’t know.” They cleared their throat and sniffled.

“I should have been more respectful, though,” Ravio insisted. “I’ve grown up in a tribe of women. You think all of them grew up as women? Or were born with their parts in order?” Sheik looked over their shoulder. “One of my teachers is just like you, but we accept her all the same because we’re not stupid enough to judge on looks.” Ravio drew himself up, braced his hands on his hips, and said in a stern voice, _“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re alone in this world._ That’s what Impa always used to say to my _Saio.”_ He grinned when Sheik chuckled at the impersonation. “Hey, when we get to the desert you can meet my teacher!”

Sheik looked down at their damp sleeve. “I’d like that,” they said, sounding a bit more cheered. 

“Great!” Ravio said, cheered as well. “But be warned--there’s no such thing as modesty in the Gerudo tribe.”

Sheik smiled a bit. “You know… When I first met Link, I thought he was like me. I thought I had finally met someone else who was… different. Even after I learned he wasn’t like me, he still made a point of becoming my friend. He was one of the few people who ever made me feel normal. You look a lot like him, you know. Now I know you think a lot like him, too. I appreciate that.”

“Th-thanks,” Ravio stuttered, surprised. He busied himself with spinning the salve jar in his hands. “Maybe we can try a little harder to get along now, seeing how there’s not as much tension anymore.”

“Yeah,” Sheik agreed. 

“Plus, Sheerow really likes you so I sort of have to like you too.” 

Sheik chuckled at that and stood up from the bed. “I’m going to put together something to eat. All of this truth-telling has made me hungry.”

“Me too.” Ravio stood up as well and followed Sheik out of the bedroom. “Hey, that reminds me… Impa suggested that maybe you can try to help me remember the Sheikan tongue.”

“I can try,” Sheik said. “We can start today, if you want.”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“We’ll try after we eat then.”

“All right. Thanks.”

Sheik nodded stiffly, and Ravio realized that while the biggest obstacles between them had been conquered there were still a few walls up around Sheik. The emotions that had defined them minutes before were once more hidden behind careful actions and precise words. But perhaps with more time those walls would crumble a little.

#

Link’s book sat heavy in Ravio’s hands. Beneath him, Wint whickered and shook his head when Cork nosed him a hello. Ravio could feel Sheik’s eyes on him; they were waiting for him to give the go-ahead. This was his first test. He had studied with Sheik for almost two hours last night in an attempt to recall the Sheikan tongue. Sometimes it was almost as if the language was behind a half-open door, and Ravio only had to reach out and push it open the rest of the way. But most times any progress was stopped by an ironclad gate that refused him any access. 

At the end of their study session, Sheik had suggested a more practical study for the next morning. The way out of the Lost Woods was to again follow Link’s instructions to the ruined house, only in reverse this time. It would be Ravio’s job to translate the pages they had followed and lead the way to the road. It was a heavy responsibility. One wrong turn would surely mean death at the hands of either hunger or a monster when the woods swallowed them.

Sheik rolled their stiff shoulders. Ravio had offered to reapply the salve for them this morning, but they had claimed the pain wasn’t bad. “Are we leaving sometime today?” they nudged.

Ravio jerked in the saddle and cast a nervous look at the Sheikah. He was simultaneously trying to translate the page and remember the path they had taken to the house the previous day. His mouth moved over what he hoped was the proper way to form the words. Perhaps muscle memory would help him to remember? “Um… We go this way first.”

“You sure?” Sheik asked.

Ravio looked back at the house. Yes, he was positive he had faced it this way when they had first arrived. If they kept going straight from here, he could look for a familiar landmark while continuing to work on the translation. “I’m sure,” he said with a confident nod. “Let’s go.”

Sheik followed without question, and Ravio felt a tinge of shame for leading them so blindly. But he had to try, or he was never going to learn. He set Wint at an easy pace and kept him straight with his knees while he spared long looks for the book. He recognized the word for ‘tree’, but in what context was it? Ravio raised his head and looked around for any distinctive branches or trunks. Nothing stood out.

Sheik didn’t say anything for the first ten minutes. When they did speak, it was with concern in their tone. “Do you know where to go?” they asked. 

“I--Yeah,” Ravio answered. _Lerst_ was ‘boulder.’ He was sure of that. Almost sure.

“Ravio,” Sheik called another five minutes later. Their voice trembled. The trees had closed in around the travelers fast, and the sky was almost blocked out. Deep shadows mimicked the shapes of monsters and strangers.

“I know where we are,” Ravio assured Sheik, but they weren’t convinced.

“Give me the book. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you do this. You need more practice--”

“I got it!”

“Ravio, we’ll die.”

“No we won’t! Come on, it’s this way.” Ravio spurred Wint into a quicker stride, moving deeper into the woods, and he heard Sheik follow with a curse. There had to be a path somewhere. Or maybe they could reach the edge of the woods in another direction. Ravio took a right turn towards what he thought was a section of thinning trees and spurred Wint even faster. But the shadows had tricked him, and the trunks only closed in more.

Sheik shouted a warning, but it came too late. The grey, hunched forms emerged from the shadows with hungry snarls and laugh-like barks. They cut off Wint, who halted with a snort, and more moved to wall in Cork from behind. The gelding reared and would have bolted if not for the line of teeth stopping him. None of Sheik’s pleading in either Sheikan or Hylian did any good. Cork turned and reared in a growing panic. 

Ravio tightened his hold on Wint’s reins, but his horse was calm. He looked to the wolfos and found them circling, but otherwise staying back. It was as if they were waiting for something.

With a final rear, Cork dislodged his rider. Sheik slid over the gelding’s rear with a cry of pain when they landed on their bruised back, and Cork cleared the line of wolfos with a fluid jump. The monsters didn’t even snap at him. Confused, but growing less worried, Ravio dismounted and helped Sheik to their feet. 

“There’s something wrong here,” Ravio whispered to the Sheikah. He spared a look for the nearest wolfos, which only looked back in vague interest. “We should be dead by now.”

Sheik only gasped and shrunk back when something crashed through the underbrush beyond the circle of monsters. Branches snapped and trunks groaned until a graying shadow slipped out from between two trees. 

“Oh Goddesses,” Sheik moaned.

A smile lit up Ravio’s face, and he laughed in pure relief. “You’re alive!”

The Dark Wolfos’s muzzle split when she returned a toothy smile. “Did you think an overgrown boar was enough to do me in?”

Sheik stared, breath stilled, as Ravio ran between two wolfos and wrapped his arms around the giant muzzle that lowered to meet him. It wasn’t long before his hands were running through the silky fur and over a streak of white that marked the beast’s belly. He ducked beneath the scar to the Dark Wolfos’s other side where he beckoned Sheik forward with an eager hand. “It’s all right. She’s a friend.”

“You have a monster for a friend?” Sheik asked in a trembling voice. They gasped when the Dark Wolfos stepped forward. A wet nose sniffed at Sheik, who leaned away on stiff legs. 

“A Sheikah,” the Dark Wolfos growled. “Your kind was the ones who imprisoned me. In fact, you look just like the one who put the troublesome seal on me.”

Those teeth were inches from Sheik’s nose. They staggered back, giving Ravio the room to move between them and the monster. “Sheik’s a friend,” Ravio insisted. “They’re not the ones who put you in that cave, all right? So be nice.” He smacked the monster’s nose lightly. It was something no sane person would dare to do, but they were already neck-deep in insanity. Still, Sheik prepared to do what little they could to defend themselves.

Instead of biting Ravio into two, the Dark Wolfos laughed and licked him. “All right, I will abide your pet Sheikah--if only for Link’s sake.”

Sheik would have bristled at the term if not for the fear that still put a shake in their body. They moved closer to Ravio, and kept an eye on both the pack of wolfos and their leader.

Link’s name sparked something in Ravio, and he said, “We’re looking for Link, actually. Did you know he’s been missing these past seven years? Then recently, I had these dreams--”

“I know everything,” the Dark Wolfos cut in, and Ravio’s eyes widened. “Link has been here before. He’s told me it all.”

Ravio glanced back at Wint, standing so calmly in the middle of a monster pack, before looking to the Dark Wolfos again. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“I spoke with him just the other day,” the Dark Wolfos answered.

 _“What?”_ both Ravio and Sheik exclaimed together.

“His book says he’s trapped!” Ravio added, and he pulled out the notebook he had pocketed.

“He is trapped,” the Dark Wolfos confirmed, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t speak with him.”

“How? When?” Ravio pressed.

The Dark Wolfos’s only answer was to say, “I can’t speak on it anymore. I made a promise.” When Ravio tried asking for information nonetheless, she repeated with a snarl, “I promised, little rabbit! Do not ask me again, or you will learn how frail our alliance can be.”

Ravio showed his first hint of fear and backed up a step. The members of the wolfos pack growled and shifted restlessly, feeding off their leader’s irritation.

Sheik put a hand on Ravio’s shoulder, and he jumped. “It’s all right,” Sheik assured him. “We’ll find your _Saio._ That’s why we’re on this journey.”

Ravio nodded his head. “Right,” he murmured with eyes down. 

“Little rabbit,” the Dark Wolfos called, and Ravio looked up. “I’m sure you will find a way to speak with Link too. Look inside yourself. He’s already reached you, hasn’t he? You’re on this journey, following in his footsteps. He speaks to you even when you can’t hear him. His spirit touches yours and guides you.”

“His spirit?” Ravio put a hand to his chest as if he could feel for Link’s presence. 

The Dark Wolfos turned away. “I have said enough. The rest is up to you. Ah, but one thing.” Her head swung back. “Did you remember the sword?” 

Ravio didn’t understand, but Sheik spoke up in a shaky voice, “I picked it up.”

“Good,” the Dark Wolfos praised. “Link wanted you to have it, little rabbit. Until we meet again.” She spoke a few more words in a language that was half-growls, and the wolfos pack slipped away into the trees. Only one stayed behind, and it nuzzled Ravio’s hand before walking a few steps away and looking back.

“I think we’re supposed to follow it,” Sheik said with a gentle nudge to Ravio’s arm. Ravio nodded, took hold of Wint’s reins, and began to follow the monster. It led him and Sheik through the woods, which slowly thinned out around them. When the road was within view, the wolfos vanished back into the shadows. Sheik and Ravio picked their way to the road where they found Cork waiting. Sheik soothed the last of the fear out of the horse.

Ravio felt a tinge of jealousy at how easily the Sheikan tongue fell from his companion’s lips--and also familiarity. “You know,” he spoke up, and Sheik turned to him. “You’re a lot like him, too.”

“Who? Link?” Sheik asked, and when Ravio nodded the Sheikah blushed. “I’m not,” they tried to say.

“You are,” Ravio insisted. “More than me, at least.”

Sheik steered the subject away by reminding Ravio that they had lost a lot of time already. “If we want to make it to The Fortress by sundown, we need to get moving.”

Ravio put on a mischievous grin. “Sundown is when all the fun starts,” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows. Sheik scoffed and shook their head, and Ravio laughed.

They were on the main road and heading west when Ravio next spoke up. “I wonder if Nabooru can help me talk to Link the way the Dark Wolfos did. Maybe it really is as easy as getting in touch with his spirit.”

“Spirit work isn’t easy,” Sheik pointed out.

“You know what I mean,” Ravio said, waving his hand. “Actually…” He hesitated, but why not talk about it? “I think that brush with the Aspects already opened me up a little. I dreamed about him last night. It was nothing big--not like the dreams that got me started on this journey. They were memories. It’s the first time in a long while that I’ve dreamed of him like that.”

“What was the dream about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“No, I don’t mind. It was a simple memory. He was telling me my favorite story: _The Rabbit in the Moon.”_ Ravio noticed Sheik tense a little at that. “Hey, why did you decide to get a moon on your neck?”

Sheik’s hands twisted and knotted Cork’s reins. “I’ve already shared more with you in the last day than I have with most other people,” they answered. “Give me a little more time before I share that story.”

“Sure,” Ravio said with a nod. “And you don’t even have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks,” Sheik returned, smiling a little. Their hands relaxed along with their shoulders, and they looked towards the nearing west.

#

It was indeed close to sundown when Ravio and Sheik arrived at the towering gate that was The Fortress’s entrance. Ravio fell into enthusiastic chatter with the gate’s guards while it raised high enough to admit them. A few Sheikan words calmed Cork’s nerves when the sounds, sights, and smells of the city hit his senses, and the gelding fell into line behind Wint as Ravio led the way to the quieter stronghold on the other side of the city. People greeted Ravio at every turn along the way.

Ganondorf and Nabooru were waiting at the stronghold, having been informed of the travelers’ arrival through the gossip stone earlier that day. Ravio hugged them both as if he hadn’t seen them in ages, and he smoothly slipped back into the role he had lived these past few years. The guards pressed close and shared inside jokes with him, and he responded in turn in crisp Gerudian. 

Sheik was envious of how easy it was for Ravio to put aside their journey and fall into the rhythms of his home. They hung back while he joined the Gerudo in preparing dinner, and they stayed quiet while the cheerful conversation wafted over them during the meal.

The liquor started to flow after dinner, and continued long into the evening. Ravio drank moderately, but he still drank. Sheik had a half-pint to soothe their nerves, and they nursed it for the rest of the night while Ravio and the other Gerudo grew louder and lewder. When Ravio vanished with a pretty guard in tow, Sheik retreated outside to where the only noise was the distant hum of the city and the sputtering of torches. A milky line of stars smeared the sky above The Fortress. Sheik lay back against a flat roof and folded their arms under their head. They closed their eyes and still saw the glow of the starlight. 

The crackle of Din’s Fire and a whiff of Gerudian tobacco opened Sheik’s eyes and drew them up into a sitting position. 

“Been a while,” Ganondorf remarked. He drew on his cigarette and expelled smoke through his nose. “Good to see you in better shape than the last time.”

“You remembered me,” Sheik returned. 

“I never forget a face,” Ganondorf said. “And Lady Impa’s kept tabs on you for me.”

Oddly, the thought that someone besides Impa was watching over them warmed Sheik. Another cigarette was offered, and Sheik took it to light it with their own bit of Din’s Fire.

“You two getting along?” Ganondorf asked.

“We’re better now,” Sheik answered, slowly. “He told me about Gambler’s Den.”

A flicker of darkness crossed Ganondorf’s face. “That was a bad time for him.”

“That’s what it sounded like. He tried to play if off, but I could hear the pain in his voice.”

“And you? Have you shared anything with him?”

Sheik dropped their eyes to their crossed ankles. “I told him that I’m not a boy or a girl. That’s all.”

“Have you decided on that yourself yet?”

Sheik shook their head. “I don’t know if I ever will.”

“Well that’s all right,” Ganondorf said. “You be whatever you want to be.”

Sheik scoffed, and a puff of smoke escaped their mouth. “Easy for a king to say.”

“Hey.” Ganondorf’s tone grew serious. “Growing up I was told I had to live one way, and only that way. I decided not to, and I did everything I could to make sure my life turned out how I wanted it. But I had help. Now, fighting a forced destiny isn’t the same as being stuck with a body that doesn’t reflect who you are, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have help. Did you meet Vera?”

“Is she Ravio’s teacher?” Sheik asked, and Ganondorf nodded. “He mentioned her.”

“I’ll tell her to find you before the two of you leave tomorrow. Maybe she can help you figure out what you want to do. No rushing into a decision of course, but maybe you can gain enough confidence to not hide under library robes anymore.”

Sheik grew defensive, saying, “I-I let Ravio help me yesterday! He… He saw my scars.”

“But did he see Sheik?” Ganondorf asked. “Did he see what really counts? Scars don’t define you. Neither does what’s in your pants. Only you can define yourself.” 

Sheik had heard all of this before--not only from Ganondorf, but also from Impa. Each time they heard it, they vowed to try harder and find something to like about themselves; something to help define who they wanted to be. It was no easier each time.

“Of course,” Ganondorf continued, “you can define yourself by not defining yourself. But you can’t even do that, can you?”

“I’m trying,” Sheik whispered. “Maybe… Maybe this journey is what I need to figure it all out.”

Ganondorf had finished his cigarette. He rubbed ash from his fingers and stood up. His heavy hand fell onto Sheik’s head. “You take your time.” He walked back towards the nearest door. “Don’t stay out much longer. The winds will be kicking up soon.”

Ganondorf saw Sheik nod, but he made a mental note to check in an hour to make sure the Sheikah wasn’t still outside. For the moment, he had another to check on. Just because Ravio was home again didn’t mean temptation wouldn’t find him, and everything and anything could be found in The Fortress if one had enough rupees. 

Fortunately, Ravio was still in the stronghold, and given the half-naked Gerudo straddling his waist Ganondorf didn’t think the young man would be leaving anytime tonight. Some temptations were all right. Ganondorf slipped away from the cracked bedroom door as quietly as he had reached it and sought his own company to keep back the night winds.


	6. False Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravio and Sheik journey to The Fractured Oasis, but things don't start out well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

# The Hero’s Aspects

### Chapter Six: False Start

Ravio had claimed there was no modesty in the Gerudo tribe, but that didn’t mean Sheik couldn’t have a bedroom to themselves. They relished the privacy in the morning hours as they slowly woke up to the plush blankets and pillows that surrounded them. The sun hadn’t yet made the blankets unbearable, and at the moment there was a sublime balance between the waning cold of the past night and the oncoming heat of the day. Sheik rolled over and pressed deeper into the soft bed with a small smile.

They opened their eyes at the touch of warm breath against their nose. A small, dark face looked back with a wide grin. Sheerow, perched upon the young girl’s head, gave a chirp.

Sheik’s scream came on the heels of Ravio’s morning meditation and prayer. He opened his eyes with a groan, gained his feet, and followed Hilda’s laughter down the hall to another bedroom. Sheerow flitted out of the room ahead of the young Gerudian princess to land on Ravio’s shoulder. Hilda was the next to find him, and she hid behind his legs just as Sheik stormed out of their room with a blanket shrouding their body and their loose hair swaying around their angry face.

Hilda giggled at Sheik’s red face. “Rav, I like your girlfriend.”

Sheik bristled, and their face flashed with distaste. “I’m not his girlfriend!”

“Rav, I like your boyfriend.”

“Or his boyfriend!”

Ravio shook his head. “Hilda, what were you doing in Sheik’s room?”

Hilda at once turned defensive, explaining in a high voice, “Miss Vera asked me to wake ‘em up! She said that _Faedra_ said that you said that Sheik said they wanted to talk to her!”

A few curious heads poked around the corners at either end of the hall. Sheik, noticing them, drew back into the bedroom and closed the door. Hilda made as if to try and follow Sheik, but Ravio pulled her back. “You go eat breakfast and leave Sheik alone. You know better than to invade people’s privacy, right?”

One of Hilda’s sandals scuffed at the floor. “I guess…”

“You _know,”_ Ravio corrected. He gave his sister a nudge in the middle of her shoulders as encouragement, and she skipped away with Sheerow following her. The curious faces drew back out of sight, and Ravio braced himself for a possible confrontation before walking up to Sheik’s door and knocking. “Sheik, it’s me. Can I come in?”

“Wait!” came a trembling answer, and Ravio heard some scrambling on the other side of the door. He waited until the door clicked open, and Sheik’s head popped around it.

“You can come in.”

Ravio nodded and pushed the door open when Sheik stepped back. He closed it behind him and leaned against it. Sheik had thrown on a pair of pants and had raked their hair back into a temporary tie. They took a seat on the bed, sighed, and dropped their head into their hands.

Ravio sighed, too. “I just wanted to apologize,” he said. “Hilda _may_ have learned her troublemaking skills from growing up with me.” He smiled when Sheik looked up, and the Sheikah huffed in slight annoyance as if to say, _I should have known._

“Anyway,” Ravio continued, “she shouldn’t bother you anymore the way she did this morning, but don’t be surprised if she tries to wrangle you into playing, or answering weird questions like, ‘Why does sand get everywhere?’ You’ve been warned.” 

Sheik’s small chuckle cheered Ravio. “I’ll keep my distance,” the Sheikah said. “When did you want to leave for The Fractured Oasis?”

“Oh, uh…” Ravio hadn’t been expecting to jump right into that conversation. He shifted on his feet while he thought on an answer. He supposed as soon as possible would be best. “Let’s head out after you’ve talked to Vera. I’ll introduce you and then talk to _Faedra_ about how to get to the Oasis--unless the instructions are in the book?”

Sheik shook their head. “The way there isn’t written down. It says Lord Ganondorf knows the way.”

Ravio smiled. “Perfect. I’ll be in my room, so whenever you’re ready let me know. Bath’s down the hall, second room past this one.”

Sheik nodded, and Ravio retreated to his own room where he busied himself with talking to Impa and Zelda through the gossip stone, and packing a small bag for the journey to the Oasis. At Sheik’s knock on the door, he rejoined the Sheikah and together they walked to the other side of the stronghold where Vera’s room was situated; not far from the classroom where Ravio had spent many of his childhood days.

Vera was a tall Gerudo with a square jaw and shoulders. She was seated in a chair and combing her short hair when Ravio and Sheik arrived. She greeted Ravio with a hug and kiss, and fast Gerudian. She offered only a hand to Sheik. They appreciated that, and shook it warmly. 

Ravio made some excuse to leave. He claimed he wanted to find Ganondorf. He left Vera and Sheik with a goodbye, and they stared at each other as the door closed.

Vera smiled and turned away from Sheik, removing the veil that covered her chest as she did. Sheik dropped their eyes from the smooth dark back, but raised them again when Vera said, “So Ravio tells me you’re another _spirami?”_

“A-a what?” Sheik asked.

_“Spirami,”_ Vera repeated. She picked up a sheet of cloth as brown as her skin and began to bind her chest. “It’s a Gerudian term. It means ‘many-spirited.’ Can you say for sure if you’re a boy or a girl?” She looked back at Sheik, who shook their head. “Then you are _spirami._ Some people are _spirase_ \--single-spirited. Others are _spiratwa.”_

“Two-spirited?” Sheik guessed, and Vera nodded. “Wouldn’t that be more fitting to you and me?”

“If our bodies were one or the other, perhaps,” Vera answered. “But we have so many spirits in us that they fought over our bodies when we were born, and we were scrambled like eggs.” She smiled to soften the odd analogy. “Some _spirami_ choose one or the other for life, some choose day-by-day like me, and others never choose. It makes no difference. You choose who you are, and in that choosing you define yourself. The number of spirits is only a part of it. Your mind and heart make up the other parts--not the parts of your body. _Undesta?”_

Sheik knew that word, but some of the meaning of Vera’s small speech escaped him. “I guess,” they answered, slowly.

“You’re still working out your feelings about yourself,” Vera guessed, and Sheik nodded. “There’s no rush. And if you need someone to talk to about it, I’m here. It took me a while, too. My tribe had accepted me long before I accepted myself. I’m sure it was the same with you.” Sheik shrugged and looked away. “You don’t think so?”

Sheik’s hands clenched. “I should go. I need to get packed for our trip to the Oasis.” They turned to leave, but stopped when Vera called their name.

“Stay a while,” Vera pleaded. She had changed before Sheik’s eyes and now stood as a he. “When Ravio wants to leave he’ll find you. Until then, let’s talk a little more.”

Sheik relaxed their clenched hands. They supposed talking to someone who understood was better than wandering the stronghold with Hilda ready to pounce at any time. “Sure,” Sheik agreed, still a little stiff, and they took the seat that Vera offered. He turned around and began to put away the clothes he had changed out of, and Sheik’s fingers flexed atop their knees. “Did you know Link?”

“I did,” Vera answered. “He stayed here for a good stretch many years ago, and visited often after he and Lord Ganondorf returned from their journey. He was such a handsome man, but unfortunately for me it was only my lord and lady whose bed he shared.” He laughed when Sheik blushed. “Did you know him?” Vera asked after his laughter had abated.

“A little,” Sheik answered. “I wish I had known him more before he disappeared.” Their fingers twisted together. 

“Lord Ganondorf says you and Ravio are on a search for him?” Vera asked, and Sheik nodded in confirmation. “I’m sure you’ll find him, and then you can get to know him as much as you want.”

“Yeah,” Sheik said, a little shakily and with a renewed blush. “We’ll find him,” they added in a stronger voice, and Vera nodded.

#

In the light of the fireplace, the scimitars flickered with a life of their own. They caught Ravio’s attention as soon as he entered Ganondorf’s chambers and he stood, paralyzed, as they danced before his eyes. A hand fell on his shoulder, and he felt the stab of a blade in his chest. He spun with a scream and backed up into the wall where the back of his head struck it.

“You all right?” Ganondorf asked. He looked annoyed as well as concerned, but the hand that fell onto Ravio’s shoulder again was gentle. It guided the young man to a chair, and gave him a glass of water.

“Thanks.” Ravio took a small sip as well as a deep, calming breath.

“Bad memories again?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I have my own, remember?” Ravio nodded. “What did you need?”

The glass was put aside, and Ravio leaned forward. _“Saio’s_ book says you know the way to The Fractured Oasis. Could you show Sheik and me the way?”

Ganondorf settled into the seat opposite Ravio. “It was once a temple to the three Goddesses of Hyrule back when ties between us and the kingdom were tighter. It fell into disuse generations ago, but it’s still a holy site. I know the way. All Gerudian kings are required to spend a night there before coronation. I can take you.”

Ravio smiled. _“Ictam gernat, Faedra.”_

“That bow alone won’t cut it, though,” Ganondorf added, striking down Ravio’s smile. “Not if you’re going up against the form the Aspect has taken.”

“You know what it is?” Ravio asked.

“I have a guess,” Ganondorf answered. _“Sabula the Bespoken Sandshifter._ It is a creature with no true form. It was created by the Goddesses to guard The Fractured Oasis, but it turned against them and all the people of the world when it saw how easily people can be corrupted. It didn’t believe they were worthy of its divine protection. A Hero of old defeated Sabula countless ages ago in that very Oasis. If the Aspect is to take any form, it will likely be Sabula.”

Ravio’s head dropped into his hands. “Great,” he remarked, darkly. “How did the Hero defeat it?”

“With a magical item called the bolt hammer,” Ganondorf explained. “It might still be in the Oasis, or it might not. The texts are unclear on whether or not the Hero took it with him when he left these lands. You should still take a sword with you.”

“Sheik has a sword,” Ravio pointed out. _“Saio_ left it for me. They’re carrying it.”

“You would leave the fighting to them? Are you that much a coward?”

“Hey, we’re both in this together.”

“It’s _your_ destiny, not Sheik’s.”

“Well I didn’t ask for it!”

The chair scraped backwards when Ravio stood up from it. He was brought back down almost at once when Ganondorf reached up and grabbed his collar. Ravio grimaced and hissed when he was forced to bow over, and then drop to his knees. Ganondorf’s face was an inch from his own, and the man’s eyes were dark.

“You remember how long Link and I fought our destiny? You remember the pain and loss we suffered because of it? And you’re going to stand there and allow it to happen again? No. I won’t let you. You do your job and please whatever Goddesses put you on this path because I am not going to allow you to suffer too. _Undesta?”_ Ganondorf pushed Ravio away without waiting for an answer. The young man toppled back into the chair and winced. “Get your things packed. We’re leaving in an hour.”

Ravio gained his feet with noted pain, but no longer objected. He left the room with hunched shoulders, looking back only once to see Ganondorf shake out dark magic from the hand that had clutched Ravio’s collar moments before. 

#

When Sheik met Ravio and Ganondorf by the stronghold’s stables they noted the tension between the two, but knew better than to ask. Instead, they stood attentive and quiet while Ganondorf explained how to ride the camels they would be taking to the Oasis.

“Have you ever seen one before?” Ravio asked Sheik after Ganondorf was finished. “A camel?” he clarified when the Sheikah raised an eyebrow.

“Oh. Yes, in ports where Gerudo trade,” Sheik answered. They stroked their camel’s head before climbing up onto its back. 

“You really have been around then?” Ravio asked.

“Here and there,” Sheik said with a shrug. “How far to the Oasis?” they asked Ganondorf.

Ganondorf guided his camel to the front of the small group. “An hour through heavy sandstorms. Wear these.” He tossed them both protective head gear, and the world was reduced to the small slits the eyeholes provided. After donning his own and adjusting it, Ganondorf turned his camel not towards the city, but to the edge of the desert that began not far from the stronghold’s west gate. Ravio and Sheik followed in his wake, and the desert swallowed them.

There were no chances for conversation, or even looks between each other. Ganondorf led the way with his head bowed against the sandstorms as ragged red flags passed on his right. Ravio was next in line with his head down and his eyes fixed on the lead camel’s haunches lest he should lose sight of it in the blinding storm. Sheik sat hunched in a similar position, but they were the first to raise their head when the storm began to fall away.

The blowing sand parted like a curtain, and flags were replaced by tall palm trees. In the middle of them sat a pile of rocks. A sloped path led down between the rocks to a dark entryway. Nothing of the original temple remained on the surface.

Ganondorf slid off of his camel, and the others followed suit. “Most of the temple lies underground,” he explained after seeing Ravio’s perplexed look. “Legend says that Serhanaka tried to destroy Sabula after its treachery by sending down bolts of lightning. The lightning destroyed the temple and turned much of the sand inside to glass. That same divine lightning enchanted the hammer that the Hero used to destroy Sabula.”

Ravio had told Sheik of the Aspect’s possible form before they had set out, so the Sheikah was just as wary as Ravio and Ganondorf when the three of them approached the slope. Remnants of stairs poked out of the sand. Ganondorf went first only to stop dead on the second stair. His eyes fixed on the dark doorway, and a tremble came into his shoulders.

Sheik stopped on the stair behind Ganondorf and tensed as well. “There’s a great evil here,” they stated. 

Ravio shot them a fearful look, then stepped down to put a hand on Ganondorf’s shoulder. _“Faedra,_ maybe you should wait here.”

Ganondorf jumped at the touch and nearly slipped down the eroded stairs. Ravio and Sheik steadied him and led him back to where the camels stood in the shade of a half-destroyed enclosure. There, they gave him some water from a canteen and settled him on the ground. 

Ganondorf’s dark skin had paled, and his eyes were darting back and forth. He calmed down after a few minutes in the shade. “Sorry,” he said. “I got a bit overwhelmed there.”

“It’s okay,” Ravio assured him. “I know how hard it is for you. Just wait here, okay? We’ll be back soon with the Aspect.”

Ganondorf closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cool stone. “You be careful,” he demanded. “Sheik, keep an eye on him for me won’t you?”

“Of course,” Sheik said with a nod while Ravio rolled his eyes. “Come on, Ravio, let him rest. We have work to do.”

“Yeah,” Ravio agreed. He followed Sheik back to the temple’s entrance, and together they entered The Fractured Oasis.

Cold torches lined both sides of the tunnel beyond the door. Sheik took one down and lit it with a bit of Din’s Fire, and some of the shadows were pushed back. “You should try,” they said. Their voice was still echoing when they handed a second cold torch to Ravio.

Ravio dropped the torch to his side. “You know I can’t,” he muttered.

“On the contrary,” Sheik countered, “you’ve had an improved air of magic around you ever since those Aspects passed through you. It could be that their power opened something up in you. Everyone has the potential for magic, after all, but not everyone uses it the same way--or even at all.”

Ravio put a hand to his chest. “I did see some of my _Saio’s_ memories…” he recalled.

“Your spirit may have touched his for a moment,” Sheik explained, and Ravio looked up in surprise. “Whatever residual spirit energy he left on the Aspects must have transferred to you. That’s good. More spirit energy is great for magic.”

Ravio smiled a little. “Is that why you’re so good at it? And why you’re so sensitive to evil? It’s because you’re _spirami,_ right?”

Sheik blushed. “Maybe,” they murmured, looking away. “Anyway…” They turned back to Ravio, leaned the lit torch against the wall, and reached out with tentative hands. “May I?”

Ravio put his cold torch under his arm and nodded, and Sheik’s fingertips fell against his shirt. “Fire starts in the chest with your burning heart and the bellows of your lungs,” Sheik explained. Their fingers moved past the Gerudian patterns, heading for Ravio’s shoulders where they swept down his arms and pressed against the back of his hands to bring his palms together. “Your palms are the kindling and your fingers are the spark. That’s why a snap of the fingers is the easiest way to produce Din’s Fire, but to make it grow and work for you requires practice.” They moved Ravio’s hands back and forth, and Ravio felt friction growing warm between them. “Focus on the heat and try to make a flame.”

Ravio focused on his chest first where the Aspects had passed through him. Thanks to Sheik’s words, he could imagine his heart and lungs as a great hearth from which fire burst out. He felt it travel down his arms, and he snapped his fingers. But there was no lick of flame, or even a spark, and he sagged on his feet.

“It’s all right,” Sheik was quick to reassure. “Hardly anyone gets it on their first try. We’ll add it to our list of things to practice.” They picked up the lit torch, and Ravio discarded his useless one. “Come on.”

The tunnel’s darkness never receded until Ravio and Sheik rounded a corner and the walls pulled away. A large room opened before them, wide and square. Light shined down from holes in the high, stone ceiling, making the torch useless; Sheik snuffed it out in the sand that covered the floor.

Ravio tilted his head back and side to side to take in the details. There weren’t many; years and sand had eroded them. Despite that, the place had an ancient beauty to it. Ravio could imagine how it once looked generations ago. The temple was quiet and peaceful. If there was evil here, he couldn’t feel it. “Come on!” Ravio urged, and he pointed across the room. “I see a door over there.” He hurried across the sandy floor towards the opposite end of the room, only to rebound with a cry of pain when he hit an invisible barrier. Gerudian curses flew from his mouth as he rubbed his head.

Sheik stepped forward with a hand held up and out. The fingers soon encountered something solid, and their hand glided back and forth against it. “It’s glass,” they pronounced. “It’s just like Lord Ganondorf said.”

Ravio dropped his hand from his throbbing forehead. Now that Sheik had pointed it out, he could see the sheen of the glass when he focused on it. The wall rose from the ground to a couple of feet above their heads, and stretched out to either side.

Sheik continued to the left with their hand trailing along the wall. The hand eventually found a break in the wall, and the Sheikah confirmed the glass turned into a corner. Another wall of glass ran parallel to it. “I think it’s a corridor,” they called back to Ravio. “That must mean this is a maze.”

“Great,” Ravio grumbled. “We should just break it all down,” he proposed, half-joking.

Sheik thought on the suggestion and shrugged. Link’s sword was unsheathed from the scabbard that they had hung on their back, and the blade sang towards the glass. The result was immediate and devastating. The glass wall grew opaque with magic and responded to Sheik’s blow with sparks and lightning. In an instant, the magic had traveled down the blade and into their body. Sheik was blown back with a scream and at once struck the wall of glass behind them. Sand and dust were kicked up when they dropped to the floor.

_“Sheik!”_ Ravio rushed along the glass wall and turned the corner. He dropped to his knees and helped Sheik to sit up against the glass. The Sheikah groaned and grimaced in pain. A splattering of blood appeared to hang in midair above them. 

“I’m all right, I’m all right,” Sheik insisted when Ravio made to inspect the back of their head. He pulled his hand away, and Sheik probed the skin beneath the root of their braid. “It’s shallow. I’ll live.” They dropped bloodstained fingers to their lap and looked up at Ravio’s bruising forehead. “Neither of us is off to a very good start on this whole adventure thing.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have--”

“It was my choice to act on your stupid suggestion. We’re both at fault. Just put it behind us.”

Ravio nodded, and when Sheik made to rise he helped them to their feet. The Sheikah put their hand out against the glass wall once more. “It’s okay to touch,” they said. “Just don’t attack it. Do you know the secret to finding your way out of a maze? You put your hand on a wall and don’t lift it away. The wall will lead you out of the maze.”

Sheik took the lead, and Ravio followed behind with his hand against the wall, tracing the same path Sheik’s hand did. It was slow going, for they often double-backed on themselves as they felt out dead ends along the way. But Sheik’s method held true, and eventually they and Ravio stepped out of the maze and up to a door set into the wall. 

But there was more than the door on the other side of the maze. In the right corner, Ravio pointed out a device that squatted on the floor. A hole in the ceiling was set above a pool of water that sat before the device, and a switch was embedded in the floor nearby. It depressed only a little under Ravio’s weight, and a click came from somewhere inside the device.

Ravio inspected the device while Sheik waited. “I think it’s a water pump,” he said after investigating it. “We have things similar to this in the stronghold to pull up water from under the desert. I’ve never seen one like this, though.”

“Look,” Sheik called, and Ravio lifted his head from the pump to see the Sheikah pointing towards a second door they had overlooked, to the right of the device. “Which way do you want to go first?”

Ravio studied the second door. “We’re closest to this one now. May as well see where it goes.” He walked to the door and tried the knob, but it was locked. “Wonder if there’s a key--Oh, right.” Ravio pulled back some when Sheik moved up with a lock picking toolkit in-hand. 

Instead of picking the lock themselves, Sheik handed the tools to Ravio. “Time to put that practice to use.” 

Ravio took the tools with a faint frown, remembering his struggles with the padlock in the past couple of days. “I’m nowhere near as fast as you.”

“I’ve got nowhere to be,” Sheik pointed out, and they leaned against the wall. 

Ravio sighed, but knelt down and went to work on the lock. He glanced up at Sheik regularly, and once saw them pull freshly bloodied fingers away from the back of their head. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Sheik reiterated. “Aren’t you done yet?”

Blushing, Ravio hurriedly resumed his work. The lock clicked open a minute later, and he opened the door onto a spiral staircase that rose up to a second floor. Sheik pushed away from the wall and followed him up the stairs. It led them to another door, which they opened onto a small room with a corridor leading off of it. 

Ravio stepped up to a grate in the wall at the start of the corridor and leaned over to sniff at it. “I can smell water. I think this is the other end of that hole in the ceiling above the pump.”

“So the water is supposed to rise up and come out of that grate?” Sheik proposed. Ravio could only shrug in answer. “It must need to go down this corridor. There must be--Never mind.” They had stepped down the corridor only to encounter a wall of glass that blocked the way forward. 

“Let’s try the other door,” Ravio said, and Sheik nodded in agreement. They left the room, but not before Ravio paused to read some Gerudian text that was carved into the back of the door. “It’s nothing, I think,” Ravio said when Sheik asked. He opened the door and headed back down the stairs with Sheik following.

Ravio headed for the other door at once, throwing a cocky smile over his shoulder at Sheik. “I’ll do better this time--just watch.” He was eager to prove himself now, and he set into the lock with passion after a perfunctory try at the knob. Sheik leaned against the wall once more and stared at the ground with arms crossed. They tipped over a little before hastily recovering, and Ravio flashed them a concerned look that was dismissed.

The lock was of identical make to the previous one and, Ravio discovered, it shared the same lost key. He picked it far faster than the first time and straightened up with a satisfied smile. “Not so bad once you get used to it. Come on.” He opened the door a crack only to watch it slam shut. A metal claw had ratcheted over his shoulder on a long chain to push it closed again.

Sheik pushed away from the wall with a gasp, and Ravio spun around when the claw whipped back. The chain retracted into the metal gauntlet of Byrne’s left forearm. The man was perched upon a glass wall like a bird, and his eyes squinted in an unseen smirk when Ravio laid eyes on him.

“Have you gotten any stronger since we last met, boy?” Byrne asked. “It doesn’t look like it.” He raised his claw, and Ravio flinched back. “What good’s a hero who isn’t heroic?”

The claw shot down once again, this time aimed at Ravio. He didn’t have time to move; his eyes were filled with sharp-edged death. But somehow, Sheik moved in front of him in the mere second it took for the claw to extend fully. Ravio’s body tensed, readying a cry of alarm, and the claw bounced off of a barrier of blue light.

Byrne cursed and drew back the slackened chain. The claw retracted back into its socket, and Sheik dropped the barrier they had put up. “Is it your plan to hide behind a shield for the rest of your days?” Byrne called to Ravio. “And a weak shield at that.”

Ravio’s eyes snapped to Sheik and he saw the Sheikah’s blonde braid was dyed red. There was strain in their determined face, and a shake in the hands that waited to cast another barrier.

“Sheik, your head--”

“Save it,” Sheik hissed, and they flashed Ravio a furious look. 

Byrne laughed. “Nayru’s Love draws its strength from the mind. I wonder how long you can keep it up in that condition. Should we find out?” The claw rose again, slower this time; taunting. 

The blue barrier spread out over Ravio and Sheik, and the claw snapped forward to strike at it again and again. Byrne whipped it around on its chain to strike repeatedly as if hoping to break through. With each blow Ravio noticed the barrier flicker longer and Sheik’s stance grow slacker. He wanted to do something to help, but each strike of the claw made him flinch.

Sheik held their own for almost two dozen blows before they dropped to their knees with a pained cry, and the barrier shattered. The claw broke through, seized them around the head, and yanked them away from Ravio. He watched them be lifted up in the air and tossed aside as if they were nothing but trash. They hit the ground, slid to a stop, and didn’t move.

“Sheik…” Ravio’s throat was as dry as the sand that lay over his friend. The call was a mere whisper.

Byrne laughed, and when Ravio looked to him he beckoned with the gauntleted hand. “Are you even going to try and fight back? Or is that bow of yours as useless as that Sheikah? Come on then, show me what strength you have--if any.”

Ravio reached back and touched the lower limb of the _maclura_ bow on his back. The smell and feel of its rich Gerudian wood always gave him strength, and today was no different. He took it into hand and pulled an arrow out of the quiver on his shoulder. But his aim danced across Bryne’s smug stature. He released nonetheless, and watched Bryne snatch the arrow out of thin air before it flew over his shoulder. It was crushed between the gauntlet’s metal fingers.

Byrne laughed once more and dropped his claw to the glass wall to steady himself. “Would you like to try again? Maybe you’ll hit something this time,” he jeered.

Ravio looked to Sheik, hoping the Sheikah was awake. But he saw the twitching in their limbs and fingers and knew it was impossible. Sheik had spent themselves on magic. He had seen it happen once before with Ganondorf when the Gerudo’s rage and grief over Link’s disappearance had peaked. Using too much magic in a short span of time was a recipe for death. Added on top of Sheik’s exhaustion was the head wound they had suffered when…

Byrne chuckled when Ravio drew a second arrow. “So you have some spine after all? Or perhaps you’re just a fool--”

The arrow struck the wall beneath Byrne, and the glass lit up with electrified magic that eagerly licked up the man’s metal gauntlet. He was shot off of the top of the glass with a yell and fell into the space between two glass walls. 

Ravio kept a third arrow at the ready as he watched Byrne gain his feet. The man brushed sand from his clothes and shook it out of the cloth that covered his lower face. He glared at Ravio through the glass. “Cleverness is no substitute for strength.”

“It beat you today,” Ravio countered in a shaking voice.

“Today,” Byrne repeated. He leapt up onto the glass and jumped from wall to wall until he was at the entrance of the temple. His shadow vanished into the tunnel.

Ravio was already at Sheik’s side and checking for signs of consciousness. Sheik’s eyes fluttered when Ravio pressed his hands against their cheeks, and he took off their canteen to trickle water into their mouth. 

“We’re getting out of here,” Ravio said. Sheik made to shake their head, but stopped with a wince of pain. “We’re going,” Ravio insisted. “We can try again tomorrow. You need help, and I…” Ravio sunk down onto his ankles. “I can’t do this without you.”

Sheik’s eyes had closed. Ravio took hold of a twitching arm and pulled it over his shoulder. It was slow going; Sheik could barely walk. Ravio was forced to lean his right shoulder against the wall of the maze to guide himself out, and at each turn he expected Byrne to reappear. He had no hand to spare for a torch, and in the dark tunnel Sheik’s echoing, ragged breaths reminded Ravio of what he had put the Sheikah through because of his cowardice.

Once clear of the tunnel’s mouth, Ravio shouted for his _Faedra._ Ganondorf rushed to the worn stairs and took hold of Sheik, and Ravio followed him to the half-ruined enclosure. Along the way, he gave an abridged account of what happened. “It’s all my fault--” 

Ravio was cut off by a curt wave of Ganondorf’s hand. The same hand healed the gash at the back of Sheik’s head before gliding over their body in assessment. “It’s bad, but survivable if we get them back to the stronghold,” Ganondorf said. He laid Sheik over his shoulder to mount his camel. Ravio was already tying a lead between his camel and Sheik’s. They took off across the sand with a little help from Ganondorf’s magic. It wasn’t perfect; camels were stubborn animals, and sorcery didn’t take well with them. But it was enough to double their speed. Ravio rode with his head bowed against the sand and his eyes fixed on Sheik, who lay bundled in a cloth in Ganondorf’s lap.

Beneath the stronghold there was a network of caverns and pools. They were used for bathing, but the desert soil had minerals within it that gave the pools therapeutic properties. The sick and exhausted among the Gerudo tribe often visited the pools to recuperate. 

When Ganondorf entered the pools with Sheik in his hands, a group of guards were talking amongst themselves in the water. Their king only had to growl, “Leave,” and they were out of the water in seconds, taking with them their clothes. They shot curious looks at both Sheik and Ravio, who was on Ganondorf’s heels, but they knew better than to ask questions.

Ganondorf splashed down the pool’s carved stairs and took a seat on the bottom step. He laid Sheik in the water with their head resting on his knees, and he began to mutter under his breath. The water took on a milky glow. Ravio hung back near the wall, too afraid to speak. 

When the light died from the water, Sheik started awake with a gasp. Ganondorf had to hold them down, saying, “You’re all right. You’re all right,” until the Sheikah calmed down. Their wet hands clawed at his arm until they relaxed. “You stay here for a while,” Ganondorf ordered. “I don’t want to see you out of the pool for at least an hour.” He stood up without waiting for Sheik’s assent and stepped out of the pool. 

Ravio pushed away from the wall and gave Ganondorf a shaky smile. _“Ictam--”_

A wet hand seized Ravio’s collar and dragged him out of Sheik’s earshot. Ravio was pushed up against a wall, and he braced himself for a lecture.

But Ganondorf only said, “You failed your friend,” before walking away in a body tense with suppressed rage. Ravio watched him go and felt shame flood his body. It dragged him down to the floor where he hid his head in his folded knees. 

**#######**

_Ictam gernat…_ : [Gerudian] Thank you…


	7. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravio and Sheik take time to recover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you weren't aware, I had a panic attack back in February which seriously put a dent in my productivity these past two months. I want to thank all of you for your patience! I'm much better than I was, and I'm doing my best to get back into writing.

# The Hero’s Aspects

### Chapter Seven: Recovery

Every twist and bend in The Fortress’s streets led to somewhere different. Years of experience had taught Ravio about each one. Most led to good things, but there were some that had bad ends. Ravio knew much about those--such as the drug den at the end of an alley, behind a wall of busted boards. Barrier magic cast by hack sorcerers muddied the air enough in case Ganondorf was watching. Ravio shivered when he passed through the sloppy magic. 

The stench of unwashed bodies hit Ravio’s nose. Along the walls of the building people huddled in silence or with incoherent mutterings. He shivered again and navigated discarded cushions and splayed limbs. He wasn’t going to descend into the same pits these addicts inhabited. He needed only a little… Enough to take off the edge of shame and guilt eating away at him…

The den made Ravio uneasy. Once a small paper packet was secured, he hurried out of the ruined building. With shoulders hunched against the cooling night wind, he headed for the stronghold and the privacy of his room. He avoided eye contact along the way; he didn’t want anyone to recognize him as he walked away from the worst part of the city. He made it home without incident, blew past Hilda when she asked him to read her a story before bed, and escaped to his room. It didn’t lock; that had been removed after the incident at Gambler’s Den. It didn’t matter. They would assume he was busy with a lover and wouldn’t bother him.

Inside the packet was a twisted white root half the size of Ravio’s pinky. He lay down on his bed and threw an arm over his eyes to block out the glow of the moon that came in through the window. The spongy root was pressed up against the roof of his mouth, and its purple extract slipped down his tongue and throat like bitter honey.

Or so Ravio would have wanted. The root was at his lips before a hand reached out and fell around his. The hand pulled the root down, gently pried it out of his fingers, and closed around it. 

“So this is all it took?” Sheik asked after taking a seat on the bed. “Just one little root ruined you for weeks?”

Ravio pushed himself up into sitting position against his headboard. “It was more than one,” he whispered. His eyes fixed on Sheik’s fingers, curled around the root. “Are you feeling better?”

“I’m fine now, thanks to Lord Ganondorf,” Sheik replied. “But this isn’t about me. What are you doing with this?” They raised their fist for a second.

Ravio shrugged and looked away. “I… I don’t know. I wanted to forget for a while. You almost died because of me, and--”

“That was my choice,” Sheik cut in, sounding annoyed. “I’m your guide, and part of that job is making sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

“That’s not what you said before when we were at the tree,” Ravio reminded them. 

“That was before I was convinced we could save Link,” Sheik explained. “But once I saw the Aspects and read further into the book, I knew we had a good chance. And we do so long as you stay away from temptations like this.” They stood up with the root still in their hand. “I’m going to dispose of this where you won’t find it, and when I come back I want you to come with me to the bathing pool. There’s something I want to show you. Something better than anything this root could show.”

Ravio reached out when Sheik walked away, and when they turned around he begged, “Please don’t tell Nabooru or _Faedra_ about this. Please.”

Sheik sighed, but nodded. “I won’t--this time.”

Ravio bowed his head in thanks and promised, “It won’t happen again.” 

Sheik’s fingers drummed against the doorframe. “Hilda came to me when you refused to tell her a bedtime story. She was quite upset. Remember that falling back onto bad habits hurts more than just you.” 

Ravio bowed his head in shame once more. When he dared to look up again, Sheik was gone. There was a shake in Ravio’s body from his near encounter with the Terminian root. He got up from the bed and walked across the room to where a washbasin and a cloth sat. The cool water felt good against his face and neck, and as always its touch reminded him of Link. He dried off and hurried back to his bed where he took a seat until Sheik returned.

The walk to the bathing pool was a quiet one. Most of the stronghold’s residents were either outside or preparing for bed. No one wanted a bath during the night when the temperatures dropped. The same openings that allowed in natural sunlight provided paths for the bitter winds to funnel in. Yet it was still early; some of the day’s heat remained in the pool.

Sheik turned their head back over their shoulder. “Follow me,” they said before stepping into the pool, clothes and all. They moved gracefully, creating low ripples as the water rose towards their hips. Ravio followed with far less elegant movements. When Sheik stopped so did he, and the Sheikah spun in place until they faced him.

“What is it you wanted to show me?” Ravio asked.

Sheik brought their hands forward and cupped some water between them. It sparkled when it slipped through their fingers. “This pool still has a bit of Lord Ganondorf’s magic in it. That’s good, because I’m still not fully recovered and could use the help.”

“For what?” Ravio pressed.

“Spirit work,” Sheik answered. They let the rest of the water fall out of their hands. “I’m going to help you get in touch with that bit of Link that joined with you when the Aspects escaped. I think you could use it. Do you remember the last time you saw him--aside from your dreams?”

Ravio thought back, flipping through the years like the pages of a book. Memories of The Fortress and his Gerudo family predominated. Stormy nights spent between Nabooru and Ganondorf; learning archery on Wint’s back with the desert sun high above; biting into a cool Lanayru dragon pear on a hot day. It took much digging, but finally he recalled the night Link left. The memory was clouded by years-old grief. All he could see was Link’s shadow vanishing from the doorway. “I don’t remember very well,” Ravio admitted through a tight throat.

“You need this,” Sheik stated. Their fingers skated over the pool’s surface. “Fortunately for us, water is a fantastic conductor for spirit work. Water connects all life in our world. It’s with us from the warmth of the womb to the soft earth of our graves. It’s one of the great powerful forces the Goddesses left behind. Here, take my hands.”

Ravio did as told, and his fingers entwined with Sheik’s, whose fingers were paler and thinner. “Are you going to step into my mind?” he asked.

Sheik shook their head. “No, I don’t use that method. Mine’s slower, but gentler. Lady Nabooru’s method is often used out of necessity and thus is more direct. We’re just going for a stroll. Now close your eyes.”

Ravio did, but not before he saw a magic circle of blue light bloom around him and Sheik. It bobbed atop the water, spinning lazily. The light played against his eyelids until his thoughts slipped away into darkness. Startled, he opened his eyes. The bathing pool was gone. He now stood in a low-ceilinged chamber underground. His clothes were as dry as the dirt beneath his feet. Shadowy tunnels led off in various directions on the right, but to the left the dirt walls gave over to tan stone and square doorways adorned with steer skulls.

Sheik was nowhere in sight, but Ravio could sense their presence in the closed air of the place. It gave him the courage to turn around towards the fresh air he could feel at his back. One of the openings in the wall was half tunnel, half doorway. Sunlight spilled down the sloped ground that likely led up to open air, but it was the ball of white light that caught Ravio’s interest. The ball hovered over the ground at shoulder height, and it waxed and waned like a candle. Ravio walked up to it and felt warmth baking off of the light. He was compelled to wrap his arms around it, and lay his cheek against it. 

The tunnels and doorways vanished, and gray stone took their place. High windows looked out over flower and vegetable gardens bathed in moonlight. A fireplace’s light danced off of a pair of naginatas crossed on a wall above a Sheikan pennant. In a bed against that same wall Impa slept on her side, her expression one of peace--but not for long. A blonde-haired boy of nine slipped into the room and squirmed his way under Impa’s blankets. She woke with a start, tense, but relaxed when she saw who had joined her. 

Link pressed his nose into Impa’s nightshirt and clutched at the fabric with trembling hands. His sniffles broke the quiet of the room until the Sheikah’s arm fell around him.

“Bad dreams?” she guessed. A whimper proved her right. “It’s all right. I’m here.” Her hand rubbed stroked Link's head. 

Ravio could feel Impa’s sadness in the memory deepening the longer he watched, but beneath it something grew stronger and pushed the sadness away. It was a feeling of motherly love. It brought tears to Ravio’s eyes. He blinked them away and took a step back in surprise when the memory bled into a familiar ranch house. Impa’s bed expanded as its occupants vanished to be replaced by an older Link and two others. The memory was tense with suppressed fear, and in the bed Link twisted and turned in the middle. 

The tension was released in an instant when Link sat up with a cry. His hand reached out as if grabbing for something, however there was only empty air. Link pulled his arm back and wrapped it and its brother around his chest. A sob hitched out of him, waking up his bedmates. They both sat up, and hands reached for Link in comfort. There was a sense of routine as Link’s head dropped into Shad’s covered lap, and Malon’s palm stroked the Regn Hylian’s back.

“I c-couldn’t save them,” Link lamented. “A-any of them.”

“Link, it’s okay,” Malon whispered. “You did your best. That’s all they asked for.”

“The Goddesses are cruel,” Shad added. “Faced with such a terrible fate, you stood your ground. You didn’t fail them. The circumstances were against you.” 

“You’ll be reunited one day,” Malon promised.

The creak of the bedroom door drew Ravio’s attention away from Link. He was surprised to find a younger version of himself pushing the door open. The memory had bled into another again--this time, one of his own. He watched himself race across the room and jump onto the back of a much happier Link, who was unpacking a rucksack. The memory overflowed with giddiness as Link spun in place twice and dropped down onto the bed, gently, to pin Ravio beneath him. Ravio feigned dismay and pulled at Link’s sidelocks until the Regn Hylian sat up, laughing.

Ravio felt his _Saio’s_ love all around him. It warmed and comforted him, and he at once wished for Link’s arms to be wrapped around him again. The thought overwhelmed him with grief when he remembered how many times he had denied his love for his _Saio._ He fell to his knees in the pool and clutched at Sheik’s stiff arms. They held tight and kept Ravio from drowning in the water that lapped at his trembling chin.

Ravio’s sobbing hitched in his chest and broke up his miserable cries. Snot fell from his nose as a column that swayed with the water it was rooted in. He was acting like a child, but he didn’t care. He wanted nothing more than to go back to those younger days when Link was still with him. What he wouldn’t give for one more day… One more _hour…_

Sheik was patient, and their solid stance never wavered no matter how much Ravio pulled at their arms. It took several minutes for Ravio to exhaust his tears, and another few to loosen his grip. Sheik pretended not to notice him wiping the snot from his nose. With their help, Ravio was able to gain his feet. His hands slipped down Sheik’s arms and entwined with their fingers once more. 

“You were right,” Ravio said in a strained voice. “I needed that. Thank you, Sheik.” His fingers tightened around theirs for a moment before he asked, “Did you see any of it?”

“All of it,” Sheik answered. “It’s the nature of my method--”

“No, no, that’s fine,” Ravio hurried to say, and he smiled. “I’m glad you saw it. He seems important to you, too, so you should know more about him.”

“Thank you,” Sheik said. They allowed Ravio’s hands to slip away.

“We should get to bed,” Ravio said. “Tomorrow we’re taking another crack at the Oasis--if you’re up to it.”

“I am,” Sheik confirmed, nodding. They began to follow Ravio out of the pool. “Are you? Byrne could be there again.”

Ravio’s mouth pressed into a grim line. “Maybe. But if he is, this time we’ll fight together.” He flashed a confident smile at Sheik, who nodded. Ravio turned forward quickly and said, “Anyway, see you in the morning.” He left wet footprints behind him as he exited the bathing area in haste.

Sheik looked down at themselves, wondering if there was something wrong. They found their wet clothes sticking to their body like a second skin. Sheik cursed and rushed out a casting of Din’s Fire that dried their clothes. A different sort of fire burned in their cheeks all the way to Ganondorf’s chambers. 

“’Hoy,” Ganondorf greeted in a distracted voice when Sheik entered the sitting room. He was focused on rolling a cigarette. “You all right?” he asked after seeing the red in Sheik’s face.

“I’m fine,” Sheik insisted. “I wanted to tell you, Ravio should be a bit more open to his task now.”

“Oh?” 

“Yes. I helped him to get in touch with Link’s spirit--the memories that got left behind when the Aspects passed through him. He’s found some of his love for his _Saio_ once more through them.”

“That’s good,” Ganondorf remarked, nodding. “But these memories--did Link lose them? I mean, if he comes back will he remember them?”

“Of course,” Sheik answered, and Ganondorf visibly relaxed in his chair. “They’re just copies--stamps, really, left on Ravio’s mind after the Aspects encounter.”

“Good, good.” Ganondorf sighed in relief. “I should have said _when_ he comes back, not _if._ Because Ravio will find him.”

Sheik swallowed around a tight throat. “Something else you should know.”

Ganondorf heard the change in Sheik’s voice, and he turned in his chair to focus on the Sheikah. “What?”

“I ran into Hilda in the hall a while ago,” Sheik began. “She was upset because she had asked Ravio to tell her a bedtime story, and he refused.”

A frown creased Ganondorf’s face. “That’s not like him. He would go to the Sacred Realm and back on two broken legs for her.”

“I took her to Lady Nabooru,” Sheik continued. Their fingers twisted together. “And then I went to Ravio’s room. Something drove me there--intuition, maybe. I… I found him with a Terminian root at his lips. I stopped him,” they rushed out when Ganondorf half-rose out of his chair. “He didn’t use it. I stopped him, and I took it outside, burned it, and buried what remained in the sand.”

Ganondorf eased back into his seat. “Thank you,” he breathed. “I appreciate you helping him, and letting me know. Damn it, Ravio, I thought you had learned…”

“Please don’t yell at him. He made me promise not to tell you,” Sheik said. 

“So you lied?” Ganondorf said, and Sheik flinched. “I didn’t know Sheikah made a habit of that.”

“I’m not Sheikah,” Sheik whispered.

Ganondorf scoffed. “Another lie.” He lit the cigarette his fingers were playing with. “If you don’t watch out you’ll start lying to yourself more and more, and then your lies will come true.” He took a drag.

Sheik made a noncommittal sound in their throat, walked around Ganondorf’s chair, and took the seat opposite him. “Ravio told me you once did the same thing as me--nearly dying by using up all your magic in a short span of time.”

Ganondorf chuckled. _“Time._ It was for that reason I almost died. I tried to bring him back--Link. I went to the Spirit Temple deeper in the desert. Time is loose there, and thus more easily manipulated. I put all of my being into a work of time magic in hopes of reaching back and grabbing Link before he disappeared. But I overestimated myself.” He shook his head as if in amusement. “I once told Link no mortal has the power to do such things, and I was right. I caught a glimpse of a ponytail through the window I had opened, and then I blacked out. I woke up with dried blood around my mouth and down my chest. Nabooru was beside me, and she was crying. She had dreamt about what I was going to do. She’s the only reason why I’m still here, telling you of this.”

“And I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,” Sheik added before dropping their eyes. “And I’m not talking about just today.”

“You still haven’t told Ravio anything about that?”

“A… a few vague things, that’s all. He respects my privacy, so unless I need to divulge something I would rather it remained in the past.” 

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. There had been something in Sheik’s face just now. He would have pried further, but he could see the Sheikah needed sleep. They still weren’t fully recovered. “See you tomorrow then?” Ganondorf said, and Sheik took the hint. They stood up from their chair and left the room without a word.


	8. Sabula the Bespoken Sandshifter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravio and Sheik make their way to the end of the Fractured Oasis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been a long time in coming, and for that I apologize! After all of that footage of BotW appeared, and we learned more about the game through videos and E3, and I played the demo, I wasn't sure if I should continue this particular fanfiction or not.
> 
> And then I remembered how much I was looking forward to writing about Ravio and Sheik, and how I was seeing all of my ideas from _Blue Arrow_ proving themselves as close to what I was seeing of BotW. And I recalled my enthusiasm for writing THA. So here's to this fanfic getting completed... one day... (:
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy this good-sized chapter!

### Chapter Eight: Sabula the Bespoken Sandshifter

Ravio stood some ways apart from the camels and watched his _Faedra_ and Sheik chatter to each other, both of them at ease. Sheik once more had a healthy glow to their cheeks; a night’s rest had finished what Ganondorf’s life-saving magic had started. None of the anger Ganondorf had shown Ravio yesterday was in his face as he talked. Nevertheless, Ravio felt guilt twist his stomach not only for the cowardice he had shown at the Fractured Oasis, but also for the Terminian root he had nearly used before bed; before Sheik stopped him.

Sheik looked to Ravio when Ganondorf turned away to prepare the camels, and they gave him a small smile. Ravio returned it with more enthusiasm than he felt. He hadn’t slept well. Sheik’s spirit magic had helped him to get in touch with the bit of Link the Aspects had left behind, but that had dredged up dreams of the Regn Hylian. Ravio wished they had been nightmares. Instead, they had been good memories that left an ache in his heart upon waking. He didn’t know how to handle these feelings. He wanted to hate his _Saio,_ but his very efforts to save him refuted that hatred.

Ravio pulled out the journal Link had left behind. He had asked to look through it during breakfast, and Sheik had handed it over. He was hoping some of the Sheikan language had come back to him after his connection to Link’s memories, but he had no such luck. Instead, Sheik had helped him more on the language while they ate. He could recognize a few common words now, but it wasn’t enough to make sense of the journal’s dense contents.

“Ravio.”

Ravio looked up from the pages to find Ganondorf standing before him; Sheik was still by the camels. Anger warred with concern on Ganondorf’s face before he said, “You can do this, Ravio. If Link had such faith in you, then so do I. And… I’m sorry for the things I said yesterday.”

“You were within your right,” Ravio argued. “Just like you said, I failed Sheik. I shouldn’t have just stood aside while they put their life at risk for me.” He tightened his fingers around the journal’s binding. “I’ll do better this time.”

Ganondorf nodded before he held a hand out. “Sheik asked me to hold on to the journal while the two of you go to the Oasis. One less thing to worry about.” 

“Yeah,” Ravio agreed. He handed the journal to his _Faedra,_ and Ganondorf tucked it into his shirt. It was only a few minutes later when they were mounted on the camels and riding into a sandstorm. Ravio had a feeling it was the same one that had raged yesterday. The three travelers shielded their faces behind masks and bowed their heads against the strong wind. 

Some immeasurable time later, the sandstorm pulled away and the entrance to the underground Fractured Oasis appeared as if from thin air. This time, Ganondorf hung back from the worn steps. With a final word of good luck, he sent the young explorers into the depths of the ruin before taking shelter with the camels in a patch of shade.

Sheik spoke up when they and Ravio were a third of the way down the first hall. “So, have you practiced your lock picking at all since we were here yesterday?”

“No, sorry,” Ravio admitted. “I’ve been… distracted. Hey, you didn’t tell my _Faedra_ about… You know…” 

Sheik shook their head at the unfinished question. “No. I promised not to tell him, remember?”

Ravio cheered a little. “Thanks.”

Sheik turned forward to hide the lie on their face. “Don’t mention it.”

They turned a corner into the main chamber, and Sheik put out the torch they had carried through the dark hall. Ravio had learned his lesson the first time, so he approached the glass labyrinth with hands outstretched as he walked slowly towards the barely-visible maze. Sheik followed him, and together they made it to the other side without incident. The door Ravio had picked open the day before stood unlocked. It was a simple manner of turning the knob and pushing it open.

Both Sheik and Ravio hung back as the door swung open, both of them with hands on their respective weapons. When only a short hall was revealed they relaxed and proceeded. A door stood on both the left side of the hall and the right, halfway down. Past them at the end of the hall was a third door. 

“Should we split up?” Sheik suggested while they studied the hall.

Ravio at once shook his head. “Not a good idea given what happened yesterday.” He couldn’t quite keep the shake out of his voice, and Sheik marked it with a rise of an eyebrow. They didn’t argue, however, and they approached the door on the left. A jiggle of the knob proved it was locked. “Well, it worked on the first door,” Sheik said before they knelt down and pulled out their lock-picking kit. Yet as soon as one of the tools was inserted, Sheik jumped back up onto their feet and retreated a step. They shook their hand as if stung.

Ravio felt his heart skip a beat. “You all right?”

“Fine,” Sheik answered. They saw Ravio’s doubtful look and added, “I mean it this time. It was just a little electric shock. I guess we need to find a key for this one.”

“Let’s try this door,” Ravio suggested, and he walked to the door on the right. The knob turned under his hand and he stepped through with a confident step. “Hey, it’s op—”

His scream alerted Sheik, who darted forward two steps and snagged the back of Ravio’s shirt before he could fall through the door. Ravio tripped backward, still screaming, and the two of them collapsed to the floor in a tangled heap. Ravio extracted himself first and helped Sheik to their feet. They were both dirtied, but unharmed. “On the Goddesses!” Ravio said in a breathless voice.

Sheik approached the door. It had opened in onto a hole at least twenty feet deep. Water filled the bottom few feet, and to the left the remains of a stone staircase were carved high into the wall. They led up to another door. “Looks like there used to be a floor here, but it collapsed. Be careful of the edge.”

“No problem,” Ravio said, eyes wide. Unable to reach the door, they left it hang open and approached the third door at the end of the hall. This one opened easily onto a small room. Once more, a door sat to the left and right. The hard stone floor gave way to loose sand.

“Another choice,” Ravio remarked as he and Sheik stepped into the small room. “Let’s hope the rooms beyond are still intact.”

“Should we try right first this time?” Sheik was about to suggest when something clamped down onto their ankle. With a small gasp, they instinctively kicked out and looked down in time to see a small skeleton get knocked away. It voiced an indignant sound that was somewhere between a growl and a shriek.

Ravio looked down and yelped when he saw dozens of pairs of skeletal hands emerging from under the sand. Small skulls and rib cages followed, and the skeletons chittered eagerly to each other while their glowing eyes fixed on the two explorers. “Stalkins!” Ravio pronounced them. “Don’t let them overwhelm you!”

There was no room for Sheik to draw Link’s sword in the small room—unless they wanted to cleave Ravio in half. Instead, they drew the dirk from their belt and slashed at any stalkins that got past their kicking feet. Ravio was on the other side of the small room, only he had no blade and the bow on his back wasn’t enough to deter the countless stalkins crowding his legs. More bony hands rose up from the sand to seize his legs, and he screamed when the monsters began to climb him like a tree. The buried hands held him in place, and soon more stalkins were hanging from his hands, weighing them down.

_“Ravio!”_ Sheik cried, and Ravio looked to them to see four stalkins swinging from their long braid. The weight of the monsters dragged Sheik’s head down, and they were quickly buried under a writhing mass of bones.

_“Sheik!”_ Ravio couldn’t even see the Sheikah anymore, but he could see the spears the late-coming stalkins were dragging to the surface. They were small, but in numbers they could be devastating. As more stalkins dragged him down to the spears waiting at his feet, Ravio felt fear and anger roil together. His heart, already pounding, raced faster while his lungs tried to draw in breath after breath through his panic. His quest to save Link had already come to an end. It wasn’t fair. He had waited for so many years and now with _Saio_ the closest he had ever been…

The anger won over, and Ravio felt his body flood with newfound strength. But it was too late. He could no longer see the room; only a wall of shifting bones. The stalkins’ weight pushed him down, and he felt his anger spike. He ripped his hands free of a bracelet of bony fingers and—

A brilliant red light filled the room. Ravio closed his eyes against it, and when he next opened them it was to find the room empty and quiet. There was no sign of the stalkins; not a bone or spear was in sight. Ravio was seated against the door he and Sheik had come through, and his body ached as if he had finished an hours-long run. To his left, Sheik slumbered with their head on Ravio’s shoulder. A few cuts marked their hands and cheeks, but they were otherwise unharmed. Similar cuts dotted Ravio’s arms and above the collar of his shirt. When he raised his hands to inspect the injuries, Sheik stirred and lifted their head.

“You’re awake,” Sheik noted in a sleepy voice. “I was a little worried. I didn’t know if the magic had exhausted you completely or not—”

“Magic?” Ravio cut in.

“Yeah, magic. You destroyed the stalkins with Din’s Fire. It was an impressive display for a first-timer. The peril of the moment likely fed its strength.”

Ravio stood up and studied his cut hands. “But I can’t use magic. It never works for me.”

Sheik stood up as well. “Remember what I told you? How touching a bit of Link’s memories gave you a boost in your spiritual aura? That must have been enough for you to cast Din’s Fire. I imagine you’ll have an easier time of it from now on.”

Ravio opened and closed his fingers, and a small smile came to his face. _“Agesumt._ Awesome,” he repeated in Hylian for Sheik’s sake. “And you’re okay? You didn’t get burned?”

“Din’s Fire is divine magic. It wouldn’t hurt someone like you or me.”

“Good to know,” Ravio said with a nod. 

“Yes,” Sheik agreed, smiling. “Well, let’s continue on. I don’t want to wait around for more of those monsters to show up. Which door then?”

Ravio looked between the two options. “You said the right door before. Let’s try it.” He led the way, moving a little slow due to the ache in his limbs. He found the more he walked, however, the faster the aches eased away. Sheik tensed behind him when he opened the door, but there was nothing beyond it save for a small, empty room. Ravio looked around and saw some pieces of rubble in a corner. “Grab one of those rocks to prop the door open. I don’t want to get trapped again.”

Sheik slipped into the room while Ravio held the door open. Once a large stone was in place he allowed the door to close onto it, leaving half a foot of space open. “Better safe than sorry,” Ravio remarked before falling to inspecting the room again. “Although there’s nothing here, looks like.”

Sheik came up behind him and pointed down at the floor. “What’s that?” they asked. Sunlight from a hole in the ceiling—the source of the rubble—highlighted a peculiar stone set into the floor. It appeared to sit a few centimeters higher than its neighbors. “It reminds me of something.”

“Yeah—Hey.” It had just come to Ravio. “Wasn’t there a switch by that water pump?”

Sheik nodded, remembering, and without further discussion they stepped forward and pressed a foot down onto the switch. Unlike the switch they had encountered before, this one depressed easily and an immediate result shook the floor beneath their feet. Sheik rejoined Ravio’s side as a deep rumbling grew beneath the stone floor. It traveled from one side of the room to the other before continuing under the door.

Ravio cocked his head to the side. “Sounds like… water. Yeah. Moving water.”

“Let’s follow it,” Sheik suggested. They gasped the next moment and put their hands over their mouth. “What happened? Did a stalkin do that?”

“Huh?” Ravio straightened his head, and Sheik reached out to push back his dark hair, revealing the shortened tip of his right ear. “Oh! No, I’ve always had that. It’s, uh… A bit of a souvenir from my first life. I used to have a pretty bad limp too, but it’s gotten a lot better. Usually you can notice it only if I’m really tired—or really drunk.” He laughed to ease the concern from Sheik’s face, and was pleased to see it abate a little. “Anyway, enough about me. Let’s see where this water is going.”

It turned out the water hadn’t gone far. Ravio’s better ears followed it back through the stalkin room and through the left door. There, he and Sheik found a short fount of water rising up through a hole in the floor. Balanced atop the powerful column of water was a key.

“I’ve got it,” Sheik said. They took out Link’s sword and used it to flick the key off of the water. It clattered to the floor where Ravio scooped it up. The two of them shared victorious smiles.

“I bet this goes to that door you tried to open,” Ravio proposed. “Let’s try it out.”

Back in the hall, Ravio tried the key in the locked door and was pleased to hear the satisfying click of a freed bolt. He left the key in its keyhole and pushed the door open onto another room with a floor covered in sand. On the far side of the room was a wall of barely-visible glass. An old chest sat behind the glass, and a closed door led to it. Another door was on the explorers’ side of the glass, across the room. 

“You want to prop open the door again?” Ravio suggested with a weary sigh. Sheik vanished without a sound and returned half a minute later with the chunk of stone in-hand. It was braced between the door and its frame, and with an escape secured they and Ravio proceeded towards the other door. They stepped gently, pausing often, and reached the door without incident. Ravio laughed as the tension left his shoulders. “That was a relief—”

The sand beneath his and Sheik’s feet dipped down, loosened by the monster that emerged in the center of the floor seconds later. It was another sandpit, and from the middle of the growing sinkhole a pair of large pincers emerged, followed by the top half of a blue insect-like monster. 

“Devalant!” Ravio had time to cry before his feet sank into the sides of the fast-moving sinkhole. He was dragged down the slope towards the devalant’s eager jaws. Sheik wasn’t far behind, red eyes wide in alarm. 

The monster shrieked in anticipation, and its pincers snapped at the meals that scrambled a few tantalizing feet away. Sheik tried to rise, but was dragged down again with a cry of frustration. “Ravio!” they cried. “Can you hit it?”

Ravio fumbled for his bow. If he had taken to wearing his quiver at his lower back like his _Saio,_ he would’ve been helpless; he was now hip-deep in sand. As it was, he had to yank his bow’s lower limb free of the sand before he could notch and draw an arrow. The first arrow drew a different sort of shriek from the monster, along with a burst of black blood. The sinkhole slowed a little.

“Again! You can do it!” Sheik encouraged over the monster’s pained cries. Ravio aimed a second arrow, this time a little lower. The bigger burst of blood told him he had hit his mark. The monster fell against the sloped side of the sinkhole with a final cry. The sand darkened with the blood that pooled around its body.

“Goddesses,” Sheik gasped. The devalant’s pincers lay not a foot from them. They pulled their legs out of the sand, not without difficulty, and made their way to Ravio to offer their help. He was able to free himself of the sand, and together they climbed to flatter ground. 

Ravio took a moment to calm his racing heart. “I think I’ve developed a new appreciation for all of the stuff _Saio_ taught me about monsters. Goddesses...” Sheik smirked to hear Ravio repeat the same mild curse. “On to our reward then.”

_“Your_ reward,” Sheik corrected after Ravio had opened the door. A short hall guided them to the second door. “That’s twice now you’ve saved us from monsters.”

Coming out into the natural light of the room, Sheik saw Ravio blush. “Yeah, well… I need to make up for yesterday. I should have fought by your side, but I was too afraid. I’m sorry.”

“I’m still alive,” Sheik reminded him before gesturing to the chest. “Let’s see what’s inside.”

The chest was old, but the object within it shined with a light Ravio could only describe as divine. It was a large, heavy hammer with a lightning bolt etched into both sides of its blunt blue head. When Ravio picked it up, an arc of white lightning sparked across the hammer.

“A weapon,” Sheik said. Ravio had to agree. “Hang on… I think I’ve heard of this before...” 

Ravio studied Sheik while they closed their eyes in thought. “Yeah,” the Sheikah soon spoke up, and their eyes opened. “I knew Lord Ganondorf’s story about Sabula sounded familiar. This was the weapon a Hero of old used to destroy the monster. It’s called the Bolt Hammer, and it’s rumored to both absorb and put out electrical currents.”

Ravio arched his eyebrows at the news. “Interesting...”

“You should keep it,” Sheik suggested next, earning a surprised look from Ravio. “You only have a bow on you, and this is your mission anyway. You’re the one who has to defeat Sabula.”

“Me?” Ravio squeaked out. He had forgotten what this adventure would entail, and at once dread fell over him. How was he supposed to fight a monster all alone?

“I’ll help you, of course,” Sheik added.

Some of the fear left Ravio’s face and posture. “Thanks, Sheik. So, where to next do you think?”

“Hmm...” Sheik once more put their quicker brain to work. “Let’s check out that water pump again. I have a hunch this hammer is what we need to get it going.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ravio praised. “Let’s go.” He walked to the door and went to open it, only to find it was locked. “What? But we just came through here!”

“No keyhole,” Sheik noticed with a grim look.

Ravio growled and shouted, “I hate this place!” His hand swung the Bolt Hammer out in frustration, and it made contact with the glass wall to his left. Both he and Sheik stepped back with alarmed cries when lightning flashed across the surface of the glass and was at once absorbed into the Bolt Hammer’s head. Without any magic holding it together, the glass shattered into hundreds of pieces that peppered the sandy floor.

Ravio shared a wide-eyed look with Sheik, and together the two of them broke into relieved laughter. They leaned against the stone wall, and then each other, weak with mirth. “Our first bit of luck!” Sheik managed between gasps for air before they fell into giggles again.

It took the explorers a while to settle down, but they felt better for the release of some of their tension. Ravio was the first one to move forward, brushing aside the glass with his boots as he went. Sheik followed the cleared path, and together they walked down the hall to the labyrinth room.

Ravio took the Bolt Hammer into both hands and raised it over his head. “Here we go,” he said before dropping the hammer onto the heavy floor switch that sat before the water pump. A deep rumble made the grains of sand on the floor bounce. With a dull roar, a column of water rose out of the pool and traveled up through the hole in the ceiling. 

Ravio craned his head back to stare at the column. “So that’s how the water gets to that grate we saw upstairs. Well, shall we?”

They walked to the second door in the room and climbed the spiral staircase beyond it. Behind another door was the small room with the corridor to the right, its entrance still blocked by a sheet of enchanted glass. Sheik studied what they could see of this latter and called Ravio’s attention. “I think there are five more walls past this one,” they said, and they pointed out indentations in the hall’s sides, similar to the ones holding the first glass wall in place. The walls were evenly spaced, yet there was no door that could be seen at the hall’s end. 

Ravio turned to the grate set into the wall. “I can hear the water. It sounds like it’s blocked. I bet the switch frees it.”

Sheik heard the sharp intake of breath as Ravio hefted the Bolt Hammer, and they spun around with a warning on their lips. But the hammer’s head fell upon the floor switch with a dull boom, and water burst through the grate to knock Ravio down. He sat up seconds later, sputtering. Sheik hauled him to his feet with a frantic look on their face.

“It’s all right,” Ravio tried to say. He wasn’t even dazed. In fact, he found it almost funny and he laughed a little.

But Sheik was in no mood for laughter. Their eyes were wide with panic. “We need to get out of here!” Sheik began to wade towards the exit; the water was rising fast. The door had closed under the force of the water, and the pressure prevented Sheik from pulling it open. “Ravio, come help me!”

Ravio sighed and waded to Sheik, but only to put a hand on the Sheikah’s shoulder. “It’s all right, Sheik. Trust me. See this?” He pointed to the inscription on the back of the door. “It’s instructions written in Gerudian. Come on, follow me.”

Sheik looked unsure. For once, Ravio was sure he was feeling braver than the Sheikah. He took hold of a thin hand and guided Sheik back to the wall of glass. The water was by now around their thighs with no hint of stopping. Sheik shot a worried gaze around the room before focusing on Ravio, who raised the Bolt Hammer and smashed the first glass barrier open. The arcs of lightning were collected in the hammer before they could travel through the water, and the two explorers were pushed into the next area when the water surged forward.

Sheik straightened up and looked to the second wall. “Hurry up and break it!” they encouraged, but Ravio shook his head. “Ravio, we’ll drown!”

“Listen!” Ravio called over the dull roar of the gushing grate, and he began to recite the door’s inscription in Hylian.

_“The water’s flow cannot be stopped._  
_That doesn’t mean that you ought_  
_try to hurry it on._

_“One and three, four and six._  
_These are the ones you should pick._  
_The others let alone.”_

Sheik was staring at Ravio as if he had lost his mind. Ravio supposed it did sound a little ridiculous, but he was saved from having to defend himself when the second glass wall cracked on its own. The glass shattered, and the water advanced further down the hall. Both Ravio and Sheik grunted when they were pushed up against the third glass wall. Ravio shattered it with the Bolt Hammer, and when they reached the fourth glass wall it similarly went down under another blow of the hammer. 

It was impossible to fight the water anymore. It was up to the explorers’ necks by now, and they were forced to tread while the fifth glass wall slowly cracked apart. The water consumed them entirely before they reached the sixth and last wall. They had enough time to suck in a breath before they were pushed up against the glass wall. Beyond it sat the last dry section of the hall. There was a square hole cut into the floor.

Sheik did their best to stay calm. Watching Ravio swing back the Bolt Hammer underwater caught their focus at once. He moved as if in slow motion, a look of determination on his face. The hammer’s muted blow resounded through the water, and at once everything was moving quickly. Sheik reached out for Ravio as they were swept down the hole, but the water pulled them apart. They fell through darkness, not knowing if a soft landing waited for them or not. 

Ravio felt his feet strike a pool of water, and at once he was again submerged. He swam out from beneath the pressure of the falling water and rose into open air with a gasp for breath. Sheik’s head popped up a few feet away. “Watch out!” Ravio called in an echoing voice. Broken glass was falling along with the water. He and Sheik swam away to the side of the room they had found themselves in. The rough wall provided them with something to cling to while they caught their breaths.

Sheik pointed up. “Look.”

Ravio looked up next to find a door hanging open above him. It was the one he had nearly fallen through. Sure enough, the remains of the staircase could be seen at the room’s far end. Ravio chuckled and shook his head. “Looks like we’ve come full-circle, almost. I think if we just wait, the water will soon be high enough for us to reach those stairs.” He looked back down at Sheik and noticed their jaw was trembling. “You okay?”

Sheik nodded. “Just cold,” they explained. “You had me scared for a minute there. Next time you have a plan like that fill me in beforehand, all right?”

Ravio grimaced a little. “I’m sorry, but it was a bit spontaneous, you know? I had read the inscription the first time we were up there, but it didn’t make any sense to me until you said you could see six glass walls. So thanks.”

Sheik turned their gaze to the wall. “You’re welcome,” they muttered.

Both Ravio and Sheik were shivering by the time the rising water brought them within reach of the staircase’s broken lip. Ravio hoisted himself up first and then helped Sheik up with a firm hand. The door at the top of the stairs was locked. Sheik tried to pick it, but their hands shook so much that Ravio was forced to take over. The door opened just as the waterfall began to peter out. Nevertheless, Ravio and Sheik quickly closed the door between themselves and the flooded room.

A new room awaited them. It was longer than it was wide with a maze of glass walls on either side, spanning most of the room’s length. Ravio could see a water pump at the end of each maze. Between them sat a massive door. Sunlight cut through holes in the ceiling to fill the room with its warm glow, and with a sigh of relief Sheik sat down in one such circle of light. “Let’s rest,” they said.

Ravio nodded and took a seat beside Sheik in the sun. The two of them spent some time wringing out what water they could from their clothes and hair. Ravio watched Sheik’s hands move down their braid, squeezing each inch in turn, until a trickle of water dribbled from the end. It vanished into the thirsty sand. “That’s better,” Sheik remarked despite the tremble that was still in their body. “I don’t like swimming too much. Bathing’s fine, but if the water is too cold or too deep it brings back bad memories.”

“What sort of bad memories?” Ravio asked.

“Memories of almost drowning,” Sheik answered with forced nonchalance. “I’ll tell you one day. Maybe.”

Ravio didn’t press them on the promise. He leaned back on his arms to catch more of the sun’s warm rays, and Sheik lay down beside him. The Sheikah fell into a light doze while their clothes dried, and the tremble left them. Ravio took the opportunity to shake out what water he could from his Gerudo boots. His companion had fared better in their _tabi_ socks and fastened sandals.

Sheik was eventually pulled out of their sleep by the crash of shattering glass. They sat up and looked around for signs of danger, and found Ravio within the maze on the left. He was breaking through the walls with the Bolt Hammer, and in turn guiding a flow of water from one end of the maze to the other. The water gurgled up from the ground at the start of the maze—from the flooded room, perhaps—and was led into a dry well at its end. A final blow of the hammer sent the water rushing up through a hole in the ceiling. 

Sheik stood up and brushed sand from their clothes. “What are you doing?” they called.

Ravio shrugged and crossed over to the maze on the right. “I don’t know, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to get the water moving. We might need it in the next room like before.”

Sheik had to agree the reasoning was sound, and a few more minutes of work had the water flowing on both sides of the room. When the water rose through the second hole, a click and scrape of stone drew Sheik’s eyes to a shallow hollow that had opened up in the wall. They called Ravio over, and he warily approached the chest that sat within the hollow.

Inside the chest was a large key made of near-transparent stone. Ravio took it into hand and smiled at the sight of it. “This is made from gypsum. It’s a mineral. Look how clear it is.” He held the key up against the sun and the light shined through its form. He was frowning when he lowered the key. “Gypsum’s soft, though. Making a key out of it would be pretty stupid.”

“I guess it’s more of an aesthetic choice,” Sheik proposed. “It looks like glass.”

“True.” Ravio looked down the room to the massive door. “When I was filling the wells, I noticed the lock on that door was transparent. I bet it’s made out of gypsum too, meaning this must be the key for it.”

“That’s a pretty big door,” Sheik remarked. They and Ravio stared at it together. “Good chance Sabula is behind it.”

Ravio swallowed. “Yeah… Well, we’ll see won’t we?”

“It’ll be all right,” Sheik assured him with a pat on the shoulder. They began to lead the way, and Ravio quickly fell into step behind them. The door loomed higher the closer they drew to it. It reminded Ravio of the first time he had seen the massive gate that marked the entrance to The Fortress. That memory brought with it another, and Ravio felt his _Saio’s_ warm arms around him and a horse moving beneath him. The shadow of a gate fell over his young face when he looked up, and it wasn’t long after that when the gate rose to reveal a tall Gerudo waiting for their arrival.

Ravio sucked in a shaky breath. He suddenly felt scared, and his chest tightened. “I need a minute,” he gasped. His hands patted at his pockets. “Do you have the gossip stone? Who has it? Did we leave it behind? Where—” Ravio cut himself off at the touch of Sheik’s hand against his chest. The stone was pulled out from his shirt’s inside pocket. 

“Let me know when you’re ready,” Sheik said, and they retreated a respectful distance back to sit against the wall of the right maze. 

Ravio clutched the gossip stone tightly between his hands. His first instinct was to call his _Faedra,_ but shame stopped him. He had shown himself to be a coward more than enough times in front of the powerful Gerudo king. Who had a more compassionate ear? Maybe Impa? No…

“Zelda,” Ravio whispered, blowing across the stone, and it lit up. After a moment, the light fluctuated when one of its partners was picked up.

“Yes, Ravio?” 

He had reached Zelda on his first try, and Ravio breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Already the panic in his body had abated a little. The princess’s voice was calm and soothing, and she listened in silence when Ravio began to speak. 

“I…” Ravio glanced at Sheik, saw they were politely occupying themselves with drawing in the sand, and continued, “I don’t know if I can do this.” He heard Zelda chuckle, and in a sharper voice he asked, “Why are you laughing?”

“Easy,” Zelda pleaded. “I’m not laughing at you. Your words reminded me of Link, that’s all. You sounded like him just now.”

Ravio frowned at the stone, which was flickering with Zelda’s soft laughter. “What do you mean? _Saio_ was brave. He would never say something like that.”

“Oh, is that so?” Zelda asked. “I’m not denying Link was brave—he certainly was, almost stupidly in fact. But I remember one night not long after you returned to us, Ravio. It was during your first visit to the castle—do you remember?”

Ravio could never forget those first few weeks of his new life. The joy he had felt upon returning to his _Saio;_ the pleasure of meeting all of the people most important in Link’s life; the sights and sounds of a larger Hyrule than the warren he had known…

“It was the first night,” Zelda continued in her soft voice. “I woke up because I had a feeling someone needed to speak to me. I walked around the castle, following the feeling, and I found Link in the courtyard. He looked happy to see me, and I knew he had something to get off of his chest. I sat down next to him, and the first words out of his mouth were, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’”

Ravio frowned. “What was he talking about?”

“You,” Zelda answered, and Ravio stilled. “He was afraid. He was afraid of losing you again because of another error of his. He was afraid of hurting you, of not giving you the love you deserve… Link had always been good with kids, even if he wouldn’t admit it, but the thought of raising your the wrong way absolutely terrified him. He didn’t think he was good enough.”

Ravio could feel grief kicking up his panic again, and he couldn’t hide the break in his voice when he asked, “Is that why he left? Was it because of me?”

“No, Ravio,” Zelda quickly answered. “Not because of you. It was because of himself. He didn’t feel like he deserved you, and he was looking for a way to prove himself worthy of you. It was a bad habit of his, thinking so little of himself. So he did some research while he was at the castle, and he asked me to tell him of any strange dreams I had in relation to what he was looking for.”

Ravio knew the rest, but he didn’t know the _why,_ and he asked Zelda this. “What was he looking for?”

“You know I can’t tell you that,” Zelda answered in an apologetic voice. “That’s something Link must explain after you save him.”

Ravio closed his eyes against a fresh onslaught of tears. “But I can’t. I’m not him. I’m not brave.”

“Yes you are,” Zelda insisted, and Ravio heard the sincerity in her voice. She believed in him. “I know you can do this, Ravio. You’re braver than you know, and just as stubborn as Link. You’ll be fine.”

Ravio had to laugh a little at that, and he felt his panicking heart calm down. “Thank you,” he said with earnest gratitude. “I feel better now.”

“I’m glad,” Zelda said with a smile in her voice. “Regardless, I feel compelled to warn you to be careful.”

“I’ll be all right,” Ravio said. “”Besides, I’m not alone. Sheik’s here, too.”

“Good. Keep an eye on each other. Call me when you have the first Aspect, all right?”

“Okay,” Ravio promised, and the stone went dark. He returned it to his inside pocket before turning to Sheik. “I’m ready.”

Sheik stood up and brushed the sand from their clothes. Ravio had already inserted the gypsum key and was turning it. The door open with a deep _chunk_ of sound, and there came the clanking of chains as counterweights moved to pull the door up. The gypsum key went with it, and was snapped in half when the ceiling cut it off. Ravio avoided the falling key and moved forward into the large room beyond the door. It was rectangular with a sand-covered floor, small windows near the ceiling, and two water grates; one in each of the back two corners. Ravio smiled to himself when he heard the gurgle of waiting water. He had been right to guide it through the mazes.

_“Ravio!”_

Ravio turned, only now noticing the door was rushing down to block off the exit. Sheik was still closing the distance to him. They had been walking, but now they sprinted for the shrinking opening. Yet the door’s weight gave it more speed over the Sheikah, and it slammed home with a resounding boom. 

_“Sheik!”_ Ravio pressed an ear to the door. “Are you all right?”

“Fine!” Sheik called. Ravio looked through the gypsum lock and saw Sheik looking back through the clear mineral. “Be careful,” Sheik urged. “I sense a great evil in that room. I’ll try to work on getting this door open. Maybe you can find an exit on your side?”

“I’ll look,” Ravio said. “You be careful too.”

“I’ll be fine,” Sheik promised. They moved out of sight, and Ravio heard them begin to murmur under their breath.

“Right…” Ravio turned to the room as a whole. “You can do this, Rav. You can do this. Just look for an exit. Yeah. You can leave and come back with Sheik. Two against one are better odds… If it even is one monster. What if it’s more? What are we going to do then? Oh, I wish Sheerow was here to keep me company, at least...”

Ravio continued talking to himself while he searched the room for an alternate exit. There were no other doors in sight, but something on the far side of the room caught Ravio’s eyes. He jogged across the sand and knelt down at the base of the back wall. There was moulding poking up from beneath the sand. He began to dig in front of it and soon uncovered the top of a door. If he could clear the immediate sand away, he might be able to open it.

Ravio had the top few inches of the door cleared when he felt a brush of hot air at the back of his neck. Oddly, it reminded him of his horse Wint. He stood up and turned around, and his eyes fell on a strange sight. A tall, horse-like monster made of shifting sand stood before him. It had sandstorms for a mane and tail, and long legs that ended in points. A red light shined out from beneath its forelock.

_Sabula,_ Ravio had time to think before the monster reared with an ear-splitting whinny. Ravio dodged out of the way, and the spear-like feet kicked up sand when they drove into the spot he had just vacated. The tremor knocked him to his knees, but he gained his feet and continued running. His heart pounded, and his mind was frantic with fear. The only exits were locked or buried, leaving him nowhere to run. Ravio soon found himself cornered by one of the grates. He pressed against the rough wall and felt his heart hammering against it. Sabula advanced towards him with head bowed. Sand shifted against its forehead to form a sharp horn.

Ravio shifted to his left and right, not knowing what direction would give him the better chance of escaping. His splayed right hand encountered a grate, and he looked to see a floor switch sat not far from his foot. Inspiration struck Ravio, and he pulled the Bolt Hammer off of his belt where it hung. A heavy downswing depressed the switch, and water gushed out of the grate in a powerful stream. It struck Sabula’s long legs, flashing with broken glass. It was indeed the water Ravio had guided to the room.

Sabula’s legs disintegrated under the force of the glass-laced water, and it fell to its side with a distressed whinny. Its sandy forelock was brushed aside, and the red light caught Ravio’s attention. 

_There. Go on, you can do this._

The voice has spoken up in Ravio’s head without warning. Its reassuring tone helped him to reaffirm his grip on the Bolt Hammer, run to Sabula’s head, and land a few blows on the monster’s shining forehead. Sabula cried out with each hit until a flail of its head sent Ravio staggering away. The stream of water had petered out, and the monster’s legs were reforming. They lengthened and sharpened, and Sabula stood up. Its mane and tail flared, forcing Ravio to cover his eyes against the whirling sand. 

Ravio spun around and ran for the switch. A second hit of the hammer produced only a sputter of water that trickled down the wall. His stomach dropping, Ravio turned to find Sabula pawing at the floor with its horned head bowed. The monster charged, and Ravio dodged again. It wasn’t as clean, and his shirt was ripped by the horn when it grazed the fabric. Sabula continued into the wall and struck it with a pained whinny. 

There was another grate in the other corner. Ravio was nearly upon it by the time Sabula recovered and charged again. There was a clear line where the first stream of water had darkened the sandy floor. Ravio darkened the other half of the room when he brought the Bolt Hammer down onto the second switch. Sabula’s legs were once more destroyed, and it went skidding across the soupy sand. Ravio ran to meet it, and his next slew of swings were awarded with a dying whinny.

With his breaths coming hard and fast, Ravio backed up to watch Sabula writhe in its death throes. What remained of its legs dug gouges into the wet sand, and he felt a strange sense of pity for the monster. The pity was pushed aside when he realized Sabula wasn’t quite dead yet. The wet sand was drawing together in a circle with Sabula at its center. It reminded Ravio of the devalant’s sinkhole, and he fled the immediate area. At a wall, he paused to observe the change coming over Sabula. Its splayed horse-like body stretched and narrowed, and the mane and tail disappeared. The rear legs split into two long tendrils, while the front legs split into three tendrils each with two of them longer than the other eight. 

The newly-formed kraken screeched at Ravio through a large, glass beak before it submerged itself into the wet sand with a rippling tremor. Ravio braced a hand against the wall when the wet sand shifted beneath him. He trained his ears and eyes on the room, looking for a sign of Sabula’s emergence. The room was silent, and it took him a second to realize he should be paying more attention to what he was feeling.

The sandy tentacle arm that had wrapped around Ravio’s waist lifted him up, and he screamed. Eight tentacles and a second arm rose out of the floor in a spread of whipping sand with Sabula’s beak pointed up towards him. The beak snapped in anticipation of its flailing meal, and Ravio saw a red light glowing within the monster’s throat. His arms were still free, as was the bow and quiver on his person. 

He didn’t need a guiding voice this time. Ravio notched, sighted, and released from within the monster’s grip. The arrow flew in between snaps of the glass beak, and Sabula screeched in pain. Its tentacle arm flung Ravio away, and he landed hard but whole. The wet sand absorbed most of the shock, allowing him to gain his feet with only a stumble. He looked up and across the room in time to find the last of Sabula’s tentacles slipping back beneath the sand as if the floor was nothing more than…

Another shot of inspiration came to Ravio’s mind. His enthusiasm was dampened a little when he remembered he had managed the spell only once, and under extreme duress. Could he do it again? He had to try. It was either that, or wait to become Sabula’s lunch. Ravio began to concentrate on the flame of life in his heart, and the pumping lungs that helped to keep it moving. He imagined the fire moving down the paths of his veins and into his palms. When he brought his hands together, he grinned at the feeling of warmth growing between them. The spell’s warmth drove back the cold panic that wanted to set it.

The ball of Din’s Fire was driven down against the sand, and flames bloomed across the ground in a low, billowing wave. It hardened the sand into glass in its wake, and converged on the center of the room. Sabula emerged from the last stretch of wet sand with a dying screech that was unnaturally cut off when its body hardened into glass. The last of Din’s Fire went out with a lick of flame.

Ravio gasped for breath and tried to retain consciousness. He felt lightheaded, but he fought back against the urge to faint while he studied Sabula for further signs of life. A crack split the glass sculpture, and Ravio felt a flutter of relief when Sabula’s glass body shattered into pieces. It was short-lived. Almost at once, the pieces flew back together and regrouped themselves into a long, snake-like form. A dragon’s snout and teeth formed from a tapered head, and transparent bat-like wings spread from the middle of the legless body. The glass pieces fit against each other like scales and crackled with static electricity.

Sabula opened its wide snout and roared. Ravio was forced to cover his ears when the glass floor rang with the sound and shattered into countless pieces. His legs slipped down into the loosened floor, and he felt the glass cut through his pants.

A clinking sound drew Ravio’s attention up. Sabula was slithering through the glass sea towards him. He made to dodge, but was stopped by the cutting glass. If he tried to move, his legs would be cut to ribbons. He cast around for help or protection while Sabula bore down on him, and his frantic eyes caught on the red glow again. It shined out from a break in the glass scales across Sabula’s chest. The light once more made for a sure target for one of Ravio’s arrows. When the arrow struck, Sabula’s wings flared and it stuttered in its approach with a roar of pain. It recovered quickly, and Ravio drew his second and possibly last arrow.

The second arrow hit, and Sabula pitched forward with another roar. Its body slid towards Ravio, and it came to a stop to his left within arm’s reach. Ravio knew what to do. He swapped his bow for the Bolt Hammer and went to work breaking apart Sabula’s glass body. Each blow shattered more scales and absorbed more of the static electricity keeping the monster together. It roared and snapped at Ravio with its razor teeth, but a blow to its snout deterred it. 

The snout shattered, and Sabula’s next cry of pain was enough to blow Ravio’s hearing. He ignored the pain and deafness, and slammed the Bolt Hammer down again and again. He could feel his throat hurting; he was screaming. The monster’s head caved in under the blows until finally, it dissipated into sand in an instant. The rest of the glass-covered floor smoothed out into sand as well.

The Bolt Hammer fell out of Ravio’s trembling hands. He collapsed forward atop the sand, and cried in relief and pain between deep breaths for air. He had done it. Somehow he had not only survived, but he defeated Sabula as well. There was courage in him after all.

A light dancing against Ravio’s eyelids forced them open. He lifted his head and looked up to find a ball of red light floating in the middle of the room at about shoulder height. With weary difficulty, Ravio pulled his legs free of the sand and crawled towards the light. It had a ghastly, shadowed look to it despite its brightness. 

This had to be the Aspect of Power. Ravio reached up for it, but before he could accept it his attention was drawn to the room’s large door when the bulk of it blasted open in a cloud of fire and smoke. Smoking pieces bounced across the sand, and both Ganondorf and Sheik entered the room in the explosion’s wake. Ganondorf’s hands were smoking and giving off a dark aura, but the magic faded when he took notice of Ravio. He and Sheik hurried to the young man’s side.

Ravio could tell his _Faedra_ had questions, but he couldn’t hear them. He shook his head and gestured to his ears, and Ganondorf’s dark face paled a little. But Ravio’s hearing was the last of his concerns; nothing a trip to a fairy fountain wouldn’t fix if he got to one in time. Instead of trying to reassure his _Faedra,_ Ravio gained his feet with the support of the Gerudo king’s shoulder and limped towards the Aspect of Power.

When Ravio reached out for the Aspect, it burst apart into shards of needle-thin light. He had time to notice many of the shards were darker than the others before they all pivoted down towards him and drove into his chest. It was as if a bull had kicked him. He was knocked onto his back, and all of the breath was driven from his lungs. He gasped for air while something burned behind his ribcage.

Ganondorf’s shadow fell over Ravio, and powerful arms swept him up into a tight embrace. Ravio struggled, and he supposed he screamed as well. He felt the latter only as vibrations in his chest that brushed against the burning pain. He clawed at his chest until Ganondorf stopped him.

The sand had slipped away from the door, allowing Sheik to hold it open for Ganondorf as he carried Ravio through it. The young man’s screams of pain trailed him. When the desert sun fell full-force upon them, Ravio felt the burning in his chest increase under the warmth of the sun, and his screams reached a new pitch. They cut off when he flew through the air and plunged into a deep pool of water.

The water was oddly soothing. Ravio’s writhing body stilled at once, and he floated down into the pool’s depths in a cloud of serenity. Something kicked in his ribcage, and air was forced from his mouth in a stream of bubbles when a long shadow emerged from his chest. It collected into a tight ball and appeared to fight against the water. Ravio watched it through half-lidded eyes that soon closed.

#

_“Why?” the boy asked. The tears renewed in his eyes, and he screamed,_  “Why did you kill all of them?” 

_Blood burst from the first blow and coated him in its heavy warmth. He kept stabbing until the spear’s sharp edge bit into his palm, but it didn’t help. Nothing helped. Nothing would bring back his—_

#

_If he killed enough of them… If he destroyed every single monster in Hyrule… Then there would be no more to hurt the ones he loved. There would be no more to threaten the fragile life he had rebuilt._

_But no, there would still be one more monster. The worst of them all, disguised as a sorry excuse of a Regn Hylian. A weak, unloved, lonely—_

#

_She wanted to help him, but he didn’t want her help. Why couldn’t she see that? Why did she have to lecture him still, as if he was still a child in the castle?_

_“Link,” Impa tried again. Her hand reached out and cradled his chin, but he pulled it free. “Link, listen to me. This is foolish. You barely survived that skulltula bite. Come home. We can talk about all this.”_

_Anger sparked through him, and he shouted through a raspy throat, “You’re not my—!”_

#

_“Don’t you get it?” Ganondorf asked, and Link paused in his rant. “He’s your redemption. Listen, I know… You don’t like him because he reminds you of a worse time… But… He’s here to help you heal over the last wounds from your dead tribe. That’s what I believe…”_

_“...Why not send Aryll back? Or Master Rusl?”_

_“Because they took care of you. But Ravio has never had anyone who cared about him until you came along. You’re his hero.”_

#

_The crop of dark hair moved against the pillow, and the young boy sat up with a yawn. He was around ten years of age with a familiar set of green eyes. His raven hair flashed new hints of Gerudian red in the sun, and his skin was a little darker than Link remembered. But it was unmistakably…_

_Ravio smiled sleepily at Link. “Hey,_  Saio.”

_On stiff legs, Link walked into the room. Ravio shifted to the edge of the bed and laughed when Link dropped a shaking hand onto his messy hair. It was a dream. It had to be. But Ravio looked and felt so real._

_“The nice lady said I could come back,” Ravio explained. He reached up and grabbed hold of Link’s wrist. “Hey, you still have my bracelet! I’m glad.” He smiled at Link again and hugged him tight around the waist._  “Saio,  _are you glad I’m back?”_

_Link didn’t know how to answer the question because the feelings in his heart couldn’t be put into words. He could only wrap Ravio tight into his arms, and press a nose into his dark hair to take in the boy’s familiar scent. He began to cry as relief flushed out the last of the anger and grief that had numbed him since his return. Ravio was back. His son was back._

#

Ravio opened his eyes onto the underside of a shady tree. It took him a moment to shake free Link’s memories and recall his own. When it all came back to him, he braced himself for the pain he knew should be running through his body. But when he sat up he found the ache in his chest was gone, his throat was no longer sore, and there were no bloody cuts beneath his ripped pants. The sound of a breeze through the trees came loud and clear to his ears.

He had been laid on top of a blanket under one of several trees that edged a deep pool of water. Closer to the water sat Sheik with their back to Ravio. Their head was tilted up towards the sun with eyes closed. When they heard the crack of Ravio’s jaw as he yawned, they dropped their head and turned to look at him. 

“Good afternoon,” Sheik greeted. “You had us both scared for a while there.”

“Oh, you were concerned for me?” Ravio teased, only to frown. “What happened?”

Sheik stood up and walked over to join Ravio in the shade. “I suppose I could indulge you with the details. Not much else to do while Lord Ganondorf collects the camels. Well, I couldn’t get that door open for the life of me. I tried every spell I know of, which isn’t a lot admittedly but still… I tried. I think Sabula’s evil influence was countering my magic. It was terrible. I could hear you struggling as you fought it… Your screams…” They paused, frowned, and continued, “Then Lord Ganondorf showed up. I think he sensed Sabula’s power. I could certainly feel it, after all. Anyway, he had more luck than me against Sabula’s darker magic. He broke open the door on only his second try, and that’s when we found you had destroyed Sabula. You did it all on your own. It was quite the feat.”

Ravio couldn’t help but feel a touch of pride at Sheik’s praise. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “I thought I was going to die ten times over.”

“The Aspect of Power was closer to killing you than Sabula ever was,” Sheik said. Ravio shot them a startled look, and they explained, “It was literally burning you to death from the inside. Your body began to smoke, your skin was blackening, and you were coughing up blood. The fairy fountain saved you.” They nodded at the pool of water. “It also cleansed the Aspect of all darkness, so we don’t have to worry about it hurting you anymore.”

“Cleansed...” Ravio put a hand to his chest. “You mean it’s still in me?”

“Yes,” Sheik answered, nodding. “It’s proof of your power. It will remain with you until you give it up.”

“To save _Saio,”_ Ravio said, and Sheik nodded again. “When… When I was in the water, I lost consciousness and… and I saw more of _Saio’s_ memories. I saw him as a kid, and as someone my age. I saw a conversation he had with _Faedra_ about me, and… And then I felt his happiness. He was happy when I came back. He...” Ravio wiped away tears even as a smile pulled at his lips. “He thought of me as his son.”

Sheik reached out a placed a comforting hand on Ravio’s shoulder. “You’re lucky to have someone who cares for you so much.”

“But… But I’ve said such terrible things about him!” Ravio wailed, and the smile fell away when his grief overtook him. Once more Sheik remained a steady shoulder to cry on as Ravio exhausted himself of his overwhelming emotions. By the time Ganondorf walked into view, leading three camels, Ravio was down to mere sniffles and was sitting up on his own.

Ganondorf looked between the two of them. “You two all right?”

“We’re fine,” Sheik answered, and Ravio nodded beside them. “I caught Ravio up on everything, and he was just feeling a bit bad over it all. But everything’s okay now.”

“Good,” Ganondorf said. He dropped the camels’ leads, walked over to Ravio, and knelt down to embrace him in a sudden hug.

_“Faedra—”_

“I was so worried about you,” Ganondorf whispered. “I knew Sheik would be all right, but you—”

“Oh, thanks,” Ravio cut in, dryly, and Sheik chuckled beside him.

“I was worried,” Ganondorf repeated. “But I want you to know I didn’t spy on you. It wasn’t until I felt Sabula’s power spiking did I hurry to find you, and by then you had already defeated the monster. I have never been more proud of you, Ravio. You were brave when it counted, and you came out of it alive.”

“And I won,” Ravio added.

Ganondorf laughed. “Yes, that too.” 

Ravio hugged Ganondorf back before gently extracting himself from the powerful arms. “Thank you, _Faedra,_ for keeping your promise and for saving my life. I know it must have been hard for you to get close to Sabula, and I’m grateful for everything you did to help us.”

“I second all of that,” Sheik spoke up. “I wouldn’t have gotten that door open until it was too late, if at all, so thank you.”

Ganondorf gained his feet. “You’re both more than welcome. Now I think it’s time to get back to The Fortress.” His expression brightened with a grin. “Tonight we’re celebrating your two’s victory over Sabula, so I hope you don’t plan on getting any sleep! We’re going to have food and drink, and bonfires twenty feet high, and…”

“But I didn’t do anything,” Sheik murmured while Ganondorf continued on. They felt Ravio’s hand on their shoulder, and they looked to him in question.

“You did more than enough,” Ravio said, smiling. “I wouldn’t have made it without your guidance. Thank you, Sheik.”

Sheik returned the smile after a moment, and they accepted Ravio’s hand in rising to their feet. Together, the two of them pulled Ganondorf out of his fantasies of that night’s celebrations and encouraged him onto a camel for the return trip.


	9. Sparks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A celebration of Ravio's victory against Sabula reveals more about his traveling companion, prompting both admiration and doubt along the continued journey to find the next Aspect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for hanging in there. I'm gonna try to do better with the updates. Please enjoy!

### Chapter Nine: Sparks

Hilda’s small hands moved away from Ravio’s. Her face lit up at the sight of the ball of Din’s Fire that remained crackling between his cupped palms. “You did it, Ravio! You’re controlling it!”

Ravio could sense she was right, and it brought a relieved smile to his face. After returning from the Fractured Oasis, he had taken a nap to recover for a few hours before waking up and setting out to find his little sister. He had needed her help. He wanted to learn how to control his new talent for magic, which had so far manifested only at the height of emotional stress. He thought there was no one better than his talented sibling to teach him.

Now, thanks to Hilda’s patient and loving teachings, he had found the means within himself to coax forth his magic at will. It had taken the better part of the morning. Nevertheless, Hilda was surprised to see how quickly Ravio learned. He attributed the feat to the Aspect of Power he now carried within him. It made him wonder if he would lose his magic once the Aspects were gone.

But such thoughts were for another time. Ganondorf wasn’t backing down from his wish to celebrate his adopted son’s success at vanquishing Sabula. Gerudo rushed throughout the stronghold in preparation for the evening’s festivities. The smell of food permeated the halls. Everywhere Ravio went, the women praised him for his courage. He smiled and thanked them, although he didn’t feel courageous. He had been scared through most of the battle. He had nearly died, and thinking back on Sabula put a shake in his body.

Again, Ravio pushed the troubling thoughts aside in favor of excitement and eagerness for the evening ahead of him. He wanted to celebrate until he no longer remembered how frightened he had been while facing down Sabula. He wanted to drown his doubts in good Gerudian drink, and he wanted to see how many people he could fit in his bed before dawn. His brush with death had given him a newfound appreciation for sharing the warmth of life with another. But first, he had to offer his help with preparations, so he joined Nabooru and Hilda in a kitchen and lent a hand. Working and talking to them, sharing their laughter, helped him to forget the anxiety that had hung over him during much of his time at the Fractured Oasis.

When the setting sun dragged colors across the sky the bonfires were built up and lit, and food and drink found eager takers. The sky was fully dark and spotted with stars when the first notes of music floated over the conversation. It didn’t cease for as long as there were people to dance to it. Ravio heartily agreed to Hilda’s request for a dance, and the siblings cut sweeping lines into the sand around the fire which were quickly covered over by the passing of others’ dancing footprints. When Hilda dropped to the ground, dizzy and laughing, Ravio picked her up in her arms and spun her around some more until she breathlessly begged him to stop. He carried her over to a blanket and sat her down to recover. She giggled and pressed a kiss to his nose.

“You may dance with someone else now,” Hilda decreed in almost perfect mimicry of her mother. Ravio grinned, ruffled Hilda’s dark hair, and set out for the nearest keg instead. There were empty pint glasses waiting to be filled, but Ravio caught Nabooru giving him a hard stare. He took up a half-pint instead. The beer was warm and it covered his upper lip with froth. He wiped the latter away and cast his eyes out over the tribe’s celebration.

Ravio’s eyes spied the only pale-skinned person amongst the party. Or perhaps “amongst” was too generous a word, for Sheik was half-hidden in the shadow of an unused doorway. Just enough firelight reached them to highlight their studious features. They were seated with knees drawn up, Link’s journal braced against them, their nose only a few inches away from the densely-filled pages.

Ravio retraced his steps, filled a second half-pint glass, and carried one in each hand to where Sheik hunkered. He offered the full glass to the Sheikah when they looked up, and Sheik accepted the glass with a word of thanks. They took an immediate, deep drink from it. “Oh, that hits the spot,” they murmured in appreciation.

Ravio settled his shoulders against the wall to the door’s right. “So, uh… are you going to just sit there all night with your nose in a book?”

“I plan on sleeping eventually,” Sheik replied, and Ravio snorted a laugh. “But yes. I don’t really do parties. They were big at the castle, of course, but I always felt… awkward when attending. Out of place.” They glanced at the shadows crossing between the fires. “Here even more so.”

Ravio rolled his eyes. “If you’re worried because of your skin color, don’t be. More than half of the Gerudo in my tribe are the result of trysts with Hylians. The Gerudo features are more prominent, but you can tell the difference in the lighter brown color—and guess what? No one cares.”

“It’s not that,” Sheik assured Ravio, but he saw the Sheikah’s hands tighten around the glass. It was a strange reaction; almost as if Sheik truly was ashamed. No further reasons were given for Sheik’s reluctance. They took a sip of beer instead of speaking further, but they were drawn back into conversation when something caught their eye. “Who are they?”

“Hmm?” Ravio followed Sheik’s gesture at a small group of Gerudo coming out of a door in a neat line. They all wore similar red dresses decorated with lines and patches of colorful fabric and precious stones. More bands of fabric adorned their bare arms and ankles, and long, red, embroidered veils swept down from their bound hair. The Gerudo arranged themselves between the fires, and their veils and wide skirts added to the flow of their bodies when they began to dance. Outstretched, poised hands marked elegant lines and almost—but not quite—touched the other dancers. The skirts and veils flirted with the fire, sometimes with a mere inch of room to spare.

Ravio smiled at the sight of the elegant women. “Din’s Dancers,” he named them. “Gerudo who want to entertain royalty and guests join the group and learn the discipline of ancient Gerudo dancing. They travel to Hyrule for festivities and special events. They get their name from the Goddess because it’s said that Din, impressed with the Gerudo’s dancing, put fire into the soles of their feet so that they could leave their marks on the world.”

After a respectful few minutes of silence and watching, many of the untrained Gerudo also joined the Dancers, who slowly loosened their disciplined bodies to match those of their wilder sisters. Sheik smiled a little and remarked, “They’re beautiful. Wish I could try.”

Ravio shot them a look of pleasant surprise. “You dance?” he asked. Sheik froze, seemed to realize what they had admitted, and lowered their blushing face. “No way! I wouldn’t have pinned you as a dancer.”

At that, Sheik raised their head to glare a little at Ravio. “And why not?”

“Because you’re so serious,” Ravio answered, laughing. 

This darkened the blush in Sheik’s cheeks, and they snapped the journal closed. Ravio watched them in fascination as they downed the rest of their beer in a few gulps, wiped away the froth, and fixed a look of determination onto him. “Show me where they keep the spare costumes.”

So Ravio led the way through the halls of the stronghold, feeling a bit dumbfounded. Sheik was showing an almost manic resolve to prove him wrong. The arrogance they had given off when they first met Ravio had taken on a different form, and Ravio had to admit he liked it. 

The Dancers’ uniforms were in a room that was diligently kept sand-free. With Ravio’s help Sheik found a dress their size and a veil to hide their blond braid. Sheik looked at the clothes in confusion, obviously not sure where to begin. It wasn’t a simple manner of slipping on the clothes, Ravio explained. There was an art to how it was draped and fastened. “Want me to help?” he offered.

After a significant pause, Sheik’s chin bobbed in a stiff nod. They began to undo their Sheikah clothes while Ravio laid out the pieces of the uniform in order. Sheik was reassured when Ravio told them they could keep their smallclothes on. Still, there was a noticeable shake in their body while Ravio circled them with the clothes, draping and pinning where necessary. He tried to be as respectful as possible by keeping his eyes at shoulder height. It was easy; there was plenty to look at.

Sheik felt the hesitation in Ravio’s hands whenever he was behind them, and they spoke up in a shaking voice. “You’re staring.”

Ravio jerked his eyes away from the scars. “Sorry,” he mumbled. He raised his eyes a little further and spied the inked moon on the back of Sheik’s neck. It was sickle-shaped—waxing crescent—done in a dark blue dye. It wasn’t simply filled in, however. The interior of the crescent was an intricate knot of lines. Ravio recognized his _Faedra’s_ hand in the art, but he kept his thoughts to himself. When Sheik was ready, they would share their past. Still, he couldn’t help but remark, “Your _tatau_ is beautiful.”

Sheik scoffed lightly. “It’s the only thing about me that is,” they murmured.

The veil was pinned last, and Ravio announced that Sheik was finished. The Sheikah spun around and watched the skirts and veil follow. They looked genuinely happy, if the smile on their face could be taken at face value.

“You look pretty,” Ravio complimented. Sheik arched a stern eyebrow, and Ravio backtracked. “Er… Handsome?” The look darkened a little. “Um… You look nice.”

The smile returned. “Thank you. Feels good to be out of those stiff Sheikah clothes, to be honest. Come on.” They led the way out of the room, and Ravio followed. Sheik already had a good grasp of the stronghold’s layout, and they reached the party without a single wrong turn. The celebration was still going strong. The Dancers had retired to the edges to partake in food and drink with their sisters, leaving the way cleared for Sheik.

“Let’s see you dance then,” Ravio teased. 

Sheik straightened their stance and walked away without a reply. Gerudo turned to watch them in interest, and by the time Sheik had reached the middle of the bonfires all eyes were upon them, with the Dancers showing the keenest interest. Ravio took a seat by Nabooru where he could enjoy an unobstructed view. He whooped and clapped encouragement, and Sheik shot him a smirk.

The dance began, but it wasn’t the disciplined, beautiful steps the Dancers had taken. The music—having started with the Dancers’ usual beat—devolved into something wilder and freer when Sheik’s dancing took on those qualities. They swept between the bonfires, swaying, spinning, and dipping their body with seemingly impossible results. Ravio saw them fall into steps and contortions that would put The Fortress’s best street performers to shame. 

Sheik’s feet kicked up sand in wide fans that fell against the bonfires like the hiss of rain. In response, tendrils of multicolored flame spun out to wrap around their body and limbs. It sparked from their soles, leaving behind beads of glass in the sand, and it billowed around their clothes without setting a single thread on fire. It was as if Sheik was trying to embody the legend of Din and her Dancers. The effect on the Gerudo tribe was immediate. They cheered and clapped as Sheik’s dancing quickened. Their enthusiasm drove the Sheikah into tighter circles and faster steps until, with a burst of flames and sparks from their hands, Sheik planted a bare foot and extinguished the bonfires. A collective gasp filled the beat of darkness that followed before the flames re-lit themselves. Their light fell upon a tribe on its feet with applause.

Between the standing people, Ravio caught Sheik sticking their tongue out at him. He laughed and made a point of politely clapping before turning to Nabooru. “That was amazing, huh?” Nabooru didn’t answer her adopted son, and the look on her expression dampened some of the amusement on Ravio’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Nabooru narrowed her eyes when some of the Dancers stepped forward to praise Sheik. She took a long sip of her beer and, without taking her eyes off of the Sheikah, said, “Your friend moves like a pirate.” Nabooru walked away, leaving Ravio to stew alone in the implications her words left behind.

#

Ravio studied the spines of the books on Vera’s expansive set of shelves. He had spent his childhood learning from many of these books alongside his teacher, and he could recall learning a bit about the faction of Gerudo who once split away and became pirates, generations before Ganondorf was born. Tired of following a male leader, the group had struck out to the open ocean where even today their descendants plundered islands and merchant ships for loot. They were the terror of the seas—feared more than Big Octos—and what mercy they had was reserved only for women who pledged allegiance to them.

Ravio had once encountered a group of pirates during his stint at Gambler’s Den. They had made landfall for rest and drink, and their reputation was well-known. In such a lawless place no one dared challenge them—except Ravio. He was high on arrogance and Terminan root by then, and he challenged the pirates’ first mate to a card game when he overheard her bragging about her conquests. His quick hands ensured him a win, but he spent the next few nights dodging knives in the dark. The Gerudo pirates hated to lose, and they especially hated anyone who had—or appeared to have—Gerudian blood in their veins.

Ravio subconsciously twisted a dark sidelock around a finger while he studied a book he had opened in his lap. There were drawings within it of a pirate ship with red sails marked with a black emblem. A sketch of a pirate showed they had retained a similar style of dress to the desert Gerudo, modified only slightly for the different type of work involved in sailing. With no king to sire progeny, their skin colors varied more, although Ravio could see they preferred the darker-skinned Hylians of the north. Perhaps the pirates were more inclined to preserve their roots than their behavior suggested.

But it wasn’t genealogy that had urged Ravio to revisit his history lessons this morning. Nabooru’s remarks on Sheik’s dancing style had sparked doubt in Ravio’s mind. It had distracted him so much that it had turned him off from anymore celebration last night. He returned to his bed alone and didn’t sleep much; his mind turning over Sheik’s every action and word witnessed so far; hunting for signs of deception. However, aside from the reluctance to not speak of their past, Sheik hadn’t come across as dishonest. If anything, they were opening up more to Ravio by the day.

_Nabooru is wrong,_ Ravio thought. He closed the book with a snap and returned it to its place on the shelf. _She’s worried about me, that’s all. She’s seeing danger everywhere._

There was a part of Ravio’s mind that didn’t find much sense in this conclusion. He snuffed that part out, and most of his doubt vanished with it. But Sheik remained on his mind, so when he ran into the Sheikah in the hall it came as little shock. The two of them danced around each other, each one taking the same direction to get by, before Sheik stopped with a small laugh. “Morning,” they greeted. Their eyes fixed on Ravio’s face. “You don’t look well. Did you get any sleep?”

Ravio shrugged off the concern. “You know me,” he answered with a laugh. “I’ll catch up on sleep later. When are you ready to head out?”

“Soon,” Sheik answered. They appeared to accept Ravio’s answer, although the concern didn’t abate much. “I’ve packed, but I want to talk to Vera about a few things. I’ll find you then, all right?”

Ravio agreed with a nod. He had a bit of packing of his own to do. He parted from Sheik and headed back to his room where he collected together his belongings and stuffed them into two rucksacks. Aside from refreshed food stores, he and Sheik wouldn’t be taking anything with them that they hadn’t brought to The Fortress. Ravio wondered if that would still be the case when it came time to finding the other two Aspects. He wanted to find some souvenirs, even if they were small trinkets, but he knew this wasn’t a simple sightseeing tour. More danger lay ahead of them—perhaps things more dangerous that Sabula, if that was possible.

_Of course it’s possible,_ a sly voice teased at the back of Ravio’s mind, and for a moment his thoughts were filled with a sharp blade and a cruel laugh. Phantom pain stabbed him in the chest, and his breath shortened. One of the rucksacks toppled over when Ravio stumbled past it, heading for his bed. He took a seat on the edge of the mattress and pressed a hand to his heaving chest. 

Sheerow’s white head popped up from the nest of paper the guay had made itself on Ravio’s bureau. The bird fluttered over to Ravio’s head, trailing concerned chirps. Their pale blue wings flapped in distress.

Sheerow gave Ravio something to focus on, and minute by minute he felt his panic ebb away. Like always, it left him feeling wrung out, sweaty, and trembling. Sheerow had calmed down and now sat within Ravio’s cupped palms. The guay was a small ball of warmth in a room that had grown cold all around Ravio. He held it close to his chest, and tried to take solace from the small heart that thrummed within his feathered companion.

#

“You look terrible.”

Ravio lifted his gaze from the saddlehorn and met Sheik’s worried eyes. He frowned at first in confusion, for Sheik’s traveling clothes had changed some. There were more touches of red and brown mixed in with the blue of the Sheikah tribe, and the garments were fitted better while still providing the ambiguity Sheik preferred. It was obvious Vera had had a hand in the clothes. Ravio was glad his teacher was of help like he’d hoped; Sheik looked happier and more comfortable.

Yet at the moment, concern was more apparent in Sheik’s face and body. They sat uneasily in Cork’s saddle to Ravio’s left and studied him intensely. Ravio knew he looked like a mess. His face still felt tight, and he had seen the shadows under his eyes in a mirror before leaving The Fortress. Ganondorf and Nabooru, too, had noticed, but when they had raised the subject Ravio had blown them off. He felt bad about it, but it was better than having them cluck over him like mother cuccos. 

“I guess yesterday caught up with you,” Sheik observed, and Ravio’s hands tightened around Wint’s reins in surprise. “You’re all right,” they continued. “You’re still alive, and now we’re one step closer to getting Link back, and it’s all thanks to your bravery.”

“I’m not brave,” Ravio muttered. “Just lucky.”

“Luck is an occasional boon not to be relied upon,” Sheik said. “Bravery is what put you back in the saddle this morning. Come on, the sun is only going to get hotter the longer we linger in this desert. I’d like to see grass again, and I think you could use another confidence boost.” When Ravio frowned in confusion, Sheik elaborated, “What I did for you before? Getting in touch with the part of Link left behind in you? I should be able to do the same with the Aspect of Power. Maybe it will help you again.”

Ravio cheered at that. “Really?” he pressed with noted excitement, and Sheik nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Then let’s get going.”

The two companions set off with a brighter mood shared between them. Their destination was the upper Zora River, but it was almost a two-day’s ride away from the desert. They decided to ride to the river and follow it upstream, taking breaks when the mood or hunger struck. They would move away from the riverbank once the day began to wane and take up their journey again in the morning; hopefully arriving to the Zora Kingdom by the late afternoon.

With every mile passed on Wint’s solid back, Ravio felt more of his earlier panic leave him until it was little more than a small flame; still smoldering, but not strong enough to frighten him. Yet with this cleared mind came a return of his earlier suspicions about Sheik, and while he easily talked and joked with the Sheikah the back of his mind repeated the same questions; bidding him to demand answers.

Ravio couldn’t demand anything of Sheik. It wasn’t right. He had only Nabooru’s remark to go off of, and his initial sour opinion of Sheik made the observation sound worse than it likely was. So Sheik moved like a pirate? So could Ravio when cards were in his hands, or his fingers were near pockets. Anyone could be crafty or limber. It didn’t mean Ravio was a pirate, and Sheik’s reluctance to share their past didn’t mean they were one either.

But the questions and suspicion persisted, and Ravio soon found himself asking, “So where did you learn to dance like that?”

Sheik’s horse was in front by a head, so the Sheikah twisted around in the saddle to address Ravio. The motion looked too sudden—startled almost—and Ravio felt his suspicion deepen. “What do you mean?” Sheik asked.

It sounded like a stalling question to Ravio. “Your dancing. Where did you learn it?”

Sheik shrugged a shoulder. “Just something I picked up from my travels. A bit of everything, I guess. Why do you ask?”

Ravio only had to say, _Just curious_ and the matter would be dropped. Instead, his suspicious thoughts got the better of him and took control of his tongue. “It’s just I’ve seen pirates dance for coin like that in Gambler’s Den.” A lie, but there was no reason to drag Nabooru into the argument.

Sheik scoffed and turned forward. “Pirates don’t dance for coin.”

“And how would you know?” Ravio pressed with sudden ferocity. 

“Because they can just steal it,” Sheik retorted in a sharp voice. “You were a pickpocket before, right? Does that make _you_ a pirate?”

Hearing his thoughts turned back on him silenced Ravio. He glared down at his clenched hands and resisted the urge to spur Wint past the slower gelding. This wasn’t going as he imagined it would. Instead of answers there was now only a return to the companions’ initial animosity. 

Sheik surprised Ravio when they drew Cork to a halt. He mirrored them, and Sheik turned a steady gaze onto him once he had drawn even. “Ravio, I know it’s frustrating traveling with someone as secretive as me, but I promise you I’m not hiding anything that will put you in danger. I have no plans to slit your throat in the night or rob you blind, all right? You can trust me.” They offered an open hand.

Ravio could spare only a few seconds’ worth of reluctance without spoiling this fresh friendship forever. He wanted to trust Sheik—and a large part of him already did. But he also trusted Nabooru, and all he could see in his mind were her suspicious eyes. 

_Everyone has secrets they prefer not to share,_ a voice spoke up amid Ravio’s thoughts, and he recalled a moment only a couple of nights ago when he asked Sheik not to tell Ganondorf about his momentary weakness involving Terminian root. Ganondorf hadn’t said anything to him about it, which meant Sheik had kept their promise. 

Ravio took hold of Sheik’s pale hand in his darker one, and they shook. “I trust you,” Ravio said. “I’m just wound up from the past few days. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.” Sheik’s easy acceptance of the apology further put Ravio at ease. “I’m sure you’ll feel better once we make camp and I can get you in touch with Link’s spirit again. It will be good for you.”

Ravio managed a smile. “Yeah,” he agreed, and the companions resumed their traveling in better spirits. When it came time to strike camp, they moved away from the damp riverbank and set up the tent beneath an overhang of rock. Ravio took care of dinner while Sheik tended to the horses. 

“It’s always better to do spirit work on a full stomach,” Sheik remarked once during dinner. “Gives the mind less room to wander, and that makes focusing a lot easier.”

Ravio pushed a line of rice around his plate. “Are we going to do it in the river?” he asked, remembering the pool at the stronghold.

But Sheik shook their head. “I was weakened from my injury, and the part of Link within you back then was purely him. Water was the best conductor at the time. I think for this Aspect of Power we should stick to solid ground. Earth is a powerful element, and another of the great powers crafted by the Goddesses.” They craned their head back, and Ravio mirrored them to study the firelight flickering at the underside of the overhang. “The top of that should do nicely.”

The climb up was easy enough. At the top of the overhang, Ravio took a moment to take in the wide view of the field around the campsite. A ceiling of stars cast enough light to make out the larger landmarks. The pale light glistened off of the surface of the Zora River, and Ravio followed the pale ribbon as far as he could until Sheik called his attention. 

“Your feet need to be bare,” Sheik instructed before sitting down to undo their sandals. Ravio remained on his feet and lifted each leg in turn to loosen and pull off his boots and socks. They were tossed onto the ground alongside Sheik’s. Stepping from the soft grass to the cold stone sent a shiver through Ravio. His toes curled into the rough rock formation once he had taken his place opposite Sheik. The two of them linked hands.

Sheik took a deep breath and slowly released it; Ravio subconsciously mirrored them. The blue magic circle bloomed beneath their feet, splashing against the stone like paint. It seemed to dance as it spun over the uneven overhang. Its light coaxed Ravio’s eyes shut, and he opened them some time later onto what he now knew was the crossroad of memory in his mind. He turned in place, taking in the earthen tunnels and stone doorways. It all looked the same—even the path that was half tunnel, half doorway. Except instead of a ball of white light hovering at the head of this path there was now a red light. It flickered like flames, casting an orange-red glow over half of the area.

“Sheik, I think I see the Aspect of Power,” Ravio said. His voice echoed a little, spooking him. He didn’t need to say anything, however. Like before, he could feel Sheik’s presence entwined with his own in this place. It gave him the courage he needed to step forward and reach out towards the Aspect. 

The Aspect stayed true to its name. Ravio felt a kick in his chest and he was at once enveloped in Link’s memories. It hit him far more powerfully than the piece of Link’s spirit had. Rather than a seamless stream of recollections blending into one another, his thoughts were assaulted by memories both good and bad like a barrage of punches to the head. Only instead of just seeing them, he felt the raw emotions of them before they were assembled into images he could understand. It didn’t hurt, but it shortened his breath and dragged tears from his eyes. 

The Dark Wolf predominated most of the early memories. Her shadow hung over every misfortune Link encountered growing up as an orphan in the castle. She plagued his sleep, spoiling every good dream; her memory drove him out of the new home he had made for himself; her voice hounded his steps for years as he wandered Hyrule. Ravio felt the warmth of her spilled blood at Link’s hand and tasted it on his tongue. It tightened his chest and made him gag. It was nearly enough to break his connection to the memories, but Sheik’s silent reassurance helped him steel his mind.

Then came memories of Ganondorf. Ravio was stunned to see how easily he had torn Link down in their first few encounters. His power made Link powerless; forced the Regn Hylian to see how weak he was. Even as they grew more comfortable with each other they always seemed to walk a knife’s edge. Watching his _Faedra’s_ inborn anger rise and overflow frightened Ravio. But then the dynamics of power between the two men would shift. It seemed Link had learned early on how to use himself as a tool to temper Ganondorf’s ire. Ravio felt the pain and pleasure alongside Link, and his gut twisted for more than one reason.

There was something more here hidden beneath the memories and emotions. Ravio could feel it just under the surface. He felt like it was a piece of the answer he was looking for; part of the reason why his _Saio_ had vanished. Yet before he could detach himself from the current memories to reach out for this unknown, he was pulled out of the crossroad and back into the present; back into consciousness.

The magic circle flickered and died, and with a curse Sheik turned from Ravio and nearly fled down the hill. Ravio’s ears heard their panicked breaths, and his temporary irritation was pushed aside by concern. He followed Sheik to where they had dropped to their knees at the base of the hill. There were tears in their eyes, which were tightly shut. Ravio could see the pounding of a rapid pulse in their neck.

“Hey—” Ravio’s fingertips had barely brushed Sheik’s shoulder when the Sheikah twisted away in a violent motion. “Sheik—”

“I’m sorry,” Sheik whispered. They opened their eyes and blinked away tears. “I… I guess I got overwhelmed. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Ravio assured them. “It was pretty intense. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be of anymore help to you with the Aspect of Power,” Sheik continued, and they turned an apologetic look onto Ravio. “I know it means a lot to you, getting in touch with Link’s spirit, but—”

“It’s okay,” Ravio repeated, although with a touch of regret in his voice. There had been a piece of the puzzle right at his fingertips! If only Sheik had held on a little longer… But looking at the Sheikah, Ravio knew it was a small miracle they had lasted as long as they did. Something about Link’s memories had rattled Sheik, and Ravio doubted it was anything as simple as the fear, anger, or passion that had accompanied them. “I appreciate what you did for me,” he continued. “Maybe the next Aspect will be a bit gentler on both of us.”

Sheik nodded, sucked in a few deep breaths, and pushed themselves onto their feet. Ravio rose with them and stayed close by their side along the short walk back to camp. Sheerow, sensing something wrong, at once fluttered over to Sheik’s shoulder. Ravio felt a pang of jealousy, but brushed it aside when he saw that Sheerow’s presence abolished the last of Sheik’s unease. He gave them a few minutes together while he returned to the hill to collect the footwear left behind.

Upon his return, a yawn worked its way out of Ravio’s mouth. “I think I’ll turn in early. That spirit work wiped me out.” Of course, his lack of sleep the night before was another factor, but he didn’t want to worry Sheik with that. “We never grabbed a second tent,” he then realized, and he cast a questioning look to Sheik.

Sheik shrugged a shoulder. “It’s a nice night,” they pointed out. “I want to sleep outside under the stars.” They looked up at the twinkling night sky. “But do you mind if I borrow the tent for a minute to change?”

“Go ahead,” Ravio encouraged. He took a seat by the fire, yawning a second time. “I’ll wait.”

“Thanks,” Sheik said. They left Sheerow behind with Ravio and retreated into the tent. A lantern was lit inside, and Ravio politely turned his eyes away from the shadow cast against the canvas. When Sheik reemerged a few minutes later, those same eyes were closed in sleep. Sheik pulled a blanket out of the tent and lowered it over Ravio. Sheerow, roosted in the dark hair, never budged. 

On the other side of the campfire, Sheik rooted in their rucksack until they found Link’s journal. They opened it to the last page they had marked and began to read, but the letters seemed to dance before their eyes in the flickering firelight. 

“Guess I’m more tired than I thought,” Sheik muttered to themselves. They closed the journal, put it aside, and rubbed their bleary eyes. After retrieving a second blanket from the tent, they returned to their previous spot and lay down in sleep.


End file.
